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February 1, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cleveland Resident Indicted on Firearms Charge

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A 31 year old Cleveland, Ohio, resident was named in an Indictment returned today (February 1, 2011) by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Wheeling, West Virginia.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that LINNIE HILLIARD, also known as “POOKIE,” also known as “CHRIS,” also known as “SCARFACE,” also known as “LUKE TOWNSEND,” was named in a one-count Indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Indictment alleges that HILLIARD, having previously been convicted of Failure to Comply, Possession of Drugs, Robbery, and two Escape charges in the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, knowingly possessed one Hi-Point, Model C-9, .9 mm pistol on October 10, 2010, in Wheeling.

If convicted, HILLIARD faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Perri. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.