FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WEDNESDAY - February 29, 2012

TWO DEFENDANTS SENTENCED FOR CHARGES STEMMING FROM THE SELLING OF STOLEN FIREARMS

WILMINGTON - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox sentenced two defendants for their participation in a case involving the selling of stolen firearms. SIEEL ALLEN, 23, of Henderson, North Carolina, received 36 months imprisonment. TAMIL ROBINSON, 21, also of Henderson, North Carolina, received 71 months imprisonment. Each defendant will also be placed on supervised release for three years following the completion of their active sentences.

On September 20, 2011, a Federal Grand Jury returned a Superseding Criminal Indictment. On November 8, 2011, each defendant pled guilty; ALLEN to two counts of possession of stolen firearms and ammunition and ROBINSON to possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

According to the investigation, from January, 2011, until May, 2011, the defendants, along with co-defendants Jamie M. Hargrove and Shawn D. Stamper, sold, or tried to sell, firearms, some of which were stolen. On January 19, 2011, ALLEN, Hargrove, and Stamper were found in possession of a stolen Ruger .380 handgun and ammunition when they sold the weapon to a confidential informant. The following day, ALLEN, ROBINSON, and others were again found possessing a firearm, a 12-gauge Remington 870 shotgun, along with ammunition, when they sold the weapon.

Both Hargrove and Stamper have been charged. Hargrove is scheduled to be arraigned on March 12, 2012. On January 17, 2012, Stamper pled guilty to possessing a stolen firearm and ammunition and possessing a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. His sentencing hearing is pending.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative 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 this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case.