SURPRISE FELON SENTENCED TO OVER 7 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR POSSESSING FIREARMS

PHOENIX - On May 15, 2012, James Arthur Lewis, 34, of Surprise, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 87 months in federal prison. Lewis pleaded guilty on Jan. 3, 2012, to felon in possession of firearms.

This case stems from Operation Storefront, which was an undercover operation conducted at a west valley secondhand shop. According to the plea agreement, on Sept. 24, 2010, Lewis sold 11 firearms to undercover agents and officers. Lewis was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions. Lewis had obtained most of the firearms during residential burglaries he committed in late 2010. Lewis has pleaded guilty to the burglaries in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He is awaiting sentencing on those charges.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Phoenix Police Department.  The prosecution was handled by Kendra Campbell, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-11-00407-PHX-GMS 
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-124(Lewis)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

Evidence presented at trial showed that, on May 5, 2011, Shipp drove through a residential neighborhood just after school let out in the middle of the afternoon, after she had consumed a pint of vodka. At that time, Shipp drove her truck up onto a sidewalk and ran over two little girls who were coloring under a shade tree. After hitting the girls, she ran over 30 to 50 feet of fence and attempted to flee the scene, as neighbors tried to stop her. Shipp’s truck eventually stalled over 200 yards away. Shipp did not have a driver’s license and had a BAC in excess of .19. The little girls Shipp ran over were cousins. The five-year-old victim died as a result of her injuries. The four-year-old victim miraculously survived, but sustained life threatening injuries.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police. The prosecution is being handled by Dimitra Sampson and Alison Bachus, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR- 11-8119-PCT-FJM  
RELEASE NUMBER:   2012-084(Shipp)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/