United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS DALLAS MAN ON FIREARMS CHARGE

Case Result of Project Safe Neighborhood Initiative

United States Richard B. Roper announced today that a federal jury convicted Willis Maurice Irving, age 25, of Dallas, Texas, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Willis will be sentenced by the Honorable Barefoot Sanders, United States Senior District Judge, on October 12, 2006. He faces up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for this conviction.

The government presented evidence at trial that during the early morning hours of November 13, 2005, officers with the Dallas Police Department observed a vehicle moving suspiciously in a high-crime area of the city. A check of computer records revealed that the vehicle had been stolen and officers followed it until it pulled into a driveway. Irving, a convicted felon, was the driver. Officers confronted Irving, frisked him for weapons for their safety, and discovered a semi-automatic pistol concealed on his person. Officers also discovered a small amount of crack cocaine in his pocket.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Dallas Police Department. This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, a federal program aimed toward the aggressive prosecution of gun crimes. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gary Tromblay and Paul Yanowich.

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