Felon Who Sold Firearms to Undercover Metro Officer Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison
Las Vegas, Nev. – A convicted felon who sold a shotgun and two rifles to an undercover Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Metro) Officer was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Thomas James Hazel, aka Jamie Hazel, 31, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to 84 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Hazel pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm on March 29, 2010.
In April 2009, detectives with Metro's firearms investigations section initiated an investigation of Hazel based on information that Hazel was unlawfully dealing in and/or possessing firearms. Hazel has numerous prior felony convictions and is prohibited by federal and state law from possessing firearms or ammunition. On April 23, 2009, an undercover Metro detective met with Hazel in a parking lot near the corner of Durango and Charleston Boulevard, and purchased the two rifles and a shotgun from Hazel for $1,800 in cash. During a later execution of a search warrant at Hazel's residence in Las Vegas, detectives recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number.
Hazel has prior felony convictions in Clark County, Nevada, for battery with use of a deadly weapon; possession of a controlled substance; and possession of a firearm by an ex-felon; and in Mesa County, Colorado, for menacing with a weapon; theft; and providing false information to a pawn broker.
The case was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and ATF, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Drew Smith.
