Fairbanks Man indicted by Federal Grand Jury for being a felon in possession of firearms

Anchorage, Alaska-U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a Fairbanks man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.  

J Cobb Whitmore, 37, of Fairbanks, Alaska, was charged in a one count indictment. 

The indictment alleges that Whitmore B a two-time felon B illegally possessed two firearms on November 19, 2015.  Whitmore was convicted of felony assault in 2000 and, again, in 2015 by the State of Alaska’s Fourth Judicial District, Superior Court, based in Fairbanks.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Hattan, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, for the charged offense.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. 

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshal Service, both branches of the Department of Justice, and the Alaska State Troopers conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. 

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.