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Press Release

Jefferson City Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary Scheme, Possessing Stolen Firearms

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to burglarize residences in Columbia, Mo., and sell the stolen items – including firearms.

Henry Anthony Williams, also known as “Foolish,” 27, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to possessing stolen firearms and to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy.

According to today’s plea agreement, Williams admitted that he possessed firearms that had been stolen during the burglary of a residence in Columbia. The investigation began on Sept. 17, 2014, when Moberly, Mo., police officers received a report from a local gun store that someone was trying to sell one of the stolen firearms – a customized Remington rifle – to the store’s owner. The person who tried to sell the stolen rifle told officers that he had purchased it from another man, identified as “LJ,” who in turn said he purchased it from Williams. LJ told officers that Williams had other firearms for sale.

On Sept. 24, 2014, LJ arranged to meet Williams in the Hooters parking lot in Columbia to purchase another firearm. In a controlled undercover transaction, LJ was provided $350 and purchased a Marlin .22-caliber rifle and a Western Field 12-gauge shotgun from Williams. The Marlin rifle was among the firearms stolen in the Columbia burglary.

Williams also admitted that he was part of a conspiracy to burglarize residences in the Columbia area, primarily targeting college housing and electronic equipment. Williams and others burglarized residences and sold the stolen merchandise to a coconspirator, who sold the items on eBay.

Williams admitted that he committed at least one of the three residential burglaries that occurred on Nov. 17, 2015, among residences on Commercial Drive in Columbia.

Under federal statutes, Williams is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Updated March 22, 2017

Topic
Firearms Offenses