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Press Release

Federal Fugitive Extradited from Argentina Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Gun Offense

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. – Patrick Champlin Tansy, 50, was sentenced on September 2, 2014, to thirty-seven months in federal prison after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm.

On November 7, 1996, Tansy and another man were cutting firewood on federal land near Lapine, Oregon.  Law enforcement officers from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and local police made contact with the two men after receiving information that trees in the area were being cut without proper permits. 

In the course of conducting a search for officer safety, a .22 caliber pistol was discovered in Tansy’s back pocket.   Police knew from previous contacts with Tansy that he was a convicted felon and they arrested him for unlawful possession of a firearm.

After Tansy’s arrest, federal authorities widened the investigation and a federal grand jury in Eugene later indicted Tansy for multiple counts of felon in possession of a firearm, as well as charges relating to the unlawful taking of timber on public land.  Tansy had previously been convicted in California in 1989 on a felony narcotics charge.

In April 2002, Tansy pled guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and was allowed to remain out of custody while awaiting sentencing.   Tansy failed to appear for his sentencing hearing in Eugene and a warrant was issued for his arrest.   Authorities later learned that Tansy fled Oregon and moved his family to Buenos Aires, Argentina.   While in Argentina, Tansy assaulted his wife during a domestic dispute and was ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison.   He was released to U.S. authorities in January 2014 in response to a request for extradition. 

The Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Forest Service and U. S. Marshal Service worked with state and local police on the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William “Bud” Fitzgerald prosecuted the case.

Updated January 29, 2015

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