Jonathan Thornton Sentenced To 121 Months For Distribution Of Crack Cocaine And Possession Of A Firearm By A Convicted Felon

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On July 28, 2014, Jonathan Thornton, 32, of Dandridge, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge. Upon his release from prison, Thornton will be subject to supervised release under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. There is no parole in the federal system.

Thornton pleaded guilty in February 2014 to distributing a quantity of crack cocaine and to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. During an undercover investigation, Thornton, along with co-defendant Roger France, sold firearms which had been stolen earlier that day in a burglary in Cosby, Tenn. At the time that he sold the stolen firearms, Thornton was a convicted felon. On another occasion, he also traded a firearm for prescription drugs and distributed crack cocaine.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation included the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Cocke County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Bowman represented the United States.