Five Gautier, Mississippi Residents Plead Guilty In Stolen Firearms Case

Gulfport, Miss – Theodore Dempsey Towne, 20, Kenneth O’Neal Knox, 46, Catina Towne Henderson, 36, Princeton Scott Knox, 34, and Aubrey Knox, 35, all of Gautier, Mississippi, pled guilty before Chief District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to charges related to the theft of 46 firearms, including machine guns, from a federal firearms licensee, U. S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis announced today.

Theodore Dempsey Towne pled guilty to theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on December 18, 2014.

Catina Towne Henderson, Kenneth O’Neal Knox and Princeton Scott Knox pled guilty to misprision of a felony by not reporting the theft and committing acts to conceal the discovery of the crime. Misprision of a felony carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. They will be sentenced on December 18, 2014.

Aubrey Knox pled guilty to conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on December 16, 2014.

This case was investigated by the Moss Point Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.