new bern man pleads guilty to charge related to attempting to bring loaded firearms on flight
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today WILLIAM RAYMOND HAMBIDGE, 68, pled guilty to failure to notify a common carrier, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(e). United States Magistrate Judge William A. Webb presided over the hearing. According to the February 15, 2012, Indictment, HAMBIDGE, tried to transport and/or ship a Smith & Wesson, .357 Magnum revolver with ammunition and a Kel-Tec, .380 caliber pistol with ammunition without notifying the carrier. The investigation revealed that HAMBIDGE, while trying to fly from New Bern, North Carolina, to South Bend, Indiana, attempted to conceal two loaded firearms in a bag within his checked luggage.
The maximum penalty for the charge is up to five years imprisonment followed by up to three years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
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 Craven County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette is prosecuting the case.
