
Anchorage Felon sentenced for possession of firearm
Anchorage, Alaska B U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Charles Wiley Smith, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, has been sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for the crime of felon in possession of a firearm.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline imposed a sentence of 57 months in prison on Smith, 32.
According to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin White Bradley, who prosecuted the case, Smith possessed a Charter Arms, Bulldog Model, .44 special revolver on October 28, 2011. At the time of this possession, Smith used the firearm to “pistol-whip” an adult female. While law enforcement officers attempted to apprehend Smith, he fired shots at them. Smith has a felony conviction from the Superior Court for the State of Alaska for the crime of misconduct involving a weapon in the first degree, dated August 8, 2000. In that case, Smith drove by an apartment building, where people were sitting on the front stairs, and fired three shots. One bullet penetrated the door of an apartment and hit an interior wall.
In fashioning a sentence, the Court noted Smith’s history of violence, use of firearms, association with gang activity and involvement with illegal controlled substances. In the words of the Court, Smith is “precisely the type of person who should not possess a firearm.” Following incarceration, Smith will be on supervised release for a period of three years.
Ms. Loeffler commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Anchorage Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Smith. SAUSA Bradley is a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney=s Office who is funded by the Municipality of Anchorage for the purpose of prosecuting gang-related and violent crime cases.