Gun Thief Sentenced in Federal Court

Acting United States Attorney Steve Butler of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Byron Chase Williams Champion, 24, of Pine Hill, was sentenced today in federal court on charges involving his theft of weapons and being a prohibited person in possession of firearms.  Court documents show that Champion stole firearms from members of his family.  These firearms were recovered from various pawnshops, one of which was in Pensacola, Florida.  Champion also stole guns from others, some of which were recovered from a pawn shop in Meridian, Mississippi.  The investigation also established that Champion was a marijuana user, and as such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.  Champion pled guilty to the charges in March of 2017.

United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced to be imprisoned for 18 months, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.  Champion will undergo treatment for drug abuse while in prison and as a condition of his supervised release.  No fine was imposed, however, the judge ordered that Champion pay $200 in special mandatory assessments. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.