Roswell Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating the Federal Firearms Laws

ALBUQUERQUE –Brandon Warford, 32, of Roswell, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 37 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of firearms.

Warford was arrested on federal charges on Aug. 5, 2014, in Roswell, N.M., under a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms.  According to the complaint, the Roswell Police Department (RPD) was notified by the Roswell Independent School District that Warford was carrying a firearm during a high school graduation ceremony.  In response to questioning by the RPD, Warford admitted that he possessed a firearm during the graduation ceremony.  At the time, Warford was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2008 and burglary in 2002.

Warford was indicted on Oct. 16, 2014, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on May 24, 2014, in Chaves County, N.M.  Warford pled guilty to the indictment on Jan. 7, 2015, without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, the Roswell Police Department and the Roswell Independent School District.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the Las Cruces branch office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case.