Press Release
Anchorage Man Sentenced to 110 Months in Prison after Jury Convicts Him for Being a Felon in Possesion of a Firearm
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska – Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that, on Friday, April 28, 2017, Bobby Dewayne Thompson, II, 43, of Anchorage, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 110 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Feb. 7, 2017, following a federal trial in Fairbanks, a jury found Thompson guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Thompson has an extensive criminal history including three prior felonies and possessed this firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
According to court documents, on March 22, 2016, Thompson was riding as a passenger in a vehicle which was stopped by Alaska State Troopers (AST) in Fairbanks. Thompson gave several false names and dates of birth in order to avoid service of his four outstanding arrest warrants. Under his seat was a loaded, stolen, .38 caliber revolver. Despite having no known employment, Thompson was found with $796.00 cash and 3.16 grams of cocaine. A subsequent search of his phone uncovered further evidence of drug trafficking including receiving a text message with a bank account number from Taming Ting – a drug trafficker who was subsequently indicted federally for trafficking methamphetamine. The entire circumstances of this case show the firearm was not just illegally possessed by Thompson, but was possessed in order to further the distribution of narcotics while in Fairbanks.
As detailed in the sentencing hearing, Thompson has an extensive criminal history dating back 25 years including: 8 assaults, 3 failure to appears, 4 driving while license suspended, 1 misdemeanor drug offense, 1 federal drug offense (sentenced to 10 years in prison), an escape from custody, and 17 petitions to revoke probation.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Beistline noted the evidence showed the gun was possessed in furtherance of drug activity and the sentence was necessary to protect the public.
Acting U.S. Attorney Schroder commended the AST and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case.
Updated May 1, 2017
Topics
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses
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