FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TUESDAY - April 7, 2009

RALEIGH GANG MEMBER SENTENCED FOR

ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF A FIREARM

RALEIGH - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court here yesterday Senior United States District Judge W. Earl Britt, sentenced THOMAS LEE BRADLEY, 23, of Raleigh, North Carolina, to 27 months’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release.

A Criminal Information was filed on December 9, 2008. On January 5, 2009, BRADLEY pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On September 24, 2008, Raleigh Police Officers observed BRADLEY sitting in a vehicle near an apartment complex smoking marijuana. BRADLEY, a member of a Raleigh gang, was arrested in possession of 24 individually wrapped baggies of marijuana. On the floor of the vehicle officers found a loaded Smith and Wesson .357 caliber revolver, Model 19-4.

Mr. Holding commented, “We are fortunate to have and be able to use the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, which enables us to work as a team with our sister agencies as we fight gang activity in this district.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jane Jackson served as prosecutor for the government

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce