Richmond felon sentenced to five years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on July 21, 2023, a Richmond Police officer was patrolling the Gilpin Court neighborhood in Richmond when he observed a vehicle that had been reported stolen. The officer followed the vehicle until it stopped, then approached the vehicle and directed the driver, Timothy Garnett Covington, 39, to turn off the vehicle. Covington refused, and when the officer attempted to remove Covington from the vehicle, Covington reached under his shirt and retrieved a handgun from his waistband. The officer returned to his vehicle and Covington drove away.

Covington drove down an alley before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot. Officers located Covington inside a residence and detained him. Officers later located two firearms and .5 grams of methamphetamine inside the residence.

As a previously convicted felon, Covington cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-136.