TREMAYNE GALLOWAY, 24, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release for selling firearms to a convicted felon. Between December 2009, and February 2010, GALLOWAY sold numerous firearms to a person working with law enforcement. GALLOWAY knew the person was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing firearms. Most of the guns were stolen. GALLOWAY was targeted as part of ATF’s “Operation Party Crasher,” aimed at getting those selling firearms to felons off the street. At sentencing Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said selling the firearms was “stupid and dangerous.... like selling someone a bomb and saying you didn’t know what he was going to do with it.”

According to the records filed in the case, on December 1, 2009, GALLOWAY sold a stolen army Olympic Arms semiautomatic assault rifle and 330 rounds of Remington .223 caliber ammunition to a known felon working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). On December 4, 2009, GALLOWAY sold the felon a bag containing five handguns. On February 19, 2010, GALLOWAY contacted the felon who was working with the ATF, offering to sell him a .22 caliber pistol.

GALLOWAY was arrested in June 2010, and pleaded guilty in September 2010. A co-defendant, Eric Barquet, pleaded guilty to distributing crack cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in December 2010 to 63 months in prison.

“Combating illegal firearms trafficking is a top investigative priority for ATF,” said Kelvin Crenshaw, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Seattle Field Division. “Whether along the southwest border or on the streets of Seattle, ATF will continue the fight to disrupt the flow of illegal gun trafficking and pursue those who choose to fuel violent crime, endanger communities and put lives at risk.”

In asking for a lengthy sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi wrote to the court that gun sales like those in this case, often lead to violent crime. “Most, if not all, of the firearms were stolen, and the Defendant knew that as well. Illicit firearms trafficking is also a very serious offense. Weapons sold in this fashion often end up in the hands of other drug dealers and gang members. They also often end up used in violent crime. Sales of the type engaged in by Galloway make it that much more difficult, if not impossible, to trace these weapons and solve those crimes,” Mr. Lombardi wrote in his sentencing memo.

GALLOWAY said he sold the guns for money to support his marijuana addiction. Chief Judge Lasnik ordered him to undergo drug treatment as part of his supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi.

 

Return to Top