Muskegon Man Sentenced To Over 8 Years In Prison For Straw Purchase Of Firearms

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Bobby Butch Pollard, age 39, of Muskegon, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 103 months in prison for manipulating his girlfriend into purchasing four firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition for him in late 2017. He could not lawfully acquire or possess firearms or ammunition because he was a convicted felon. The Hon. Janet T. Neff also imposed a term of three years of court supervision to follow Pollard’s release from prison. The sentencing follows a trial that took place in February in which a jury found Pollard guilty of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition—the guns and bullets his girlfriend had purchased for him at his direction. His lengthy prior record includes convictions for drug offenses, assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic assault, failures to pay child support and various criminal traffic offenses.

          "ATF, in conjunction with our state and local partners, will continue to protect the public by identifying and arresting violent offenders in the community who illegally possess firearms, as well as anyone who knowingly provides firearms to them," said James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Detroit Field Division.

          This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, in conjunction with the Muskegon Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Roth and Clay Stiffler as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative to reduce violent crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, and federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement work closely together to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for driving violent crime in our communities in order to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Individuals with information or concerns about violent crime or firearms offenses should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit: https://www.justice.gov/psn.

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