Whittington’s Weapon Stash Lands Him 10 Years

PLANO, Texas – Scott Travis Whittington, 39, of Lewisville, Texas, is trading his stockpile for stripes after being sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for a breathtaking array of firearms violations. The sentence, handed down June 13, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Richard Schell, closes a case that exposed a disturbing private arsenal and blatant disregard for the law.

Whittington pleaded guilty on November 1, 2012, to possessing unregistered firearms, smuggling goods from the United States, and embezzlement of government property. The investigation, spanning from January 2008 through September 2012, revealed a hoard that went far beyond simple gun collecting. Authorities discovered Whittington possessed two unregistered firearms alongside a shocking amount of stolen military hardware.

The list reads like a blueprint for chaos: 27 M249 squad automatic weapon short barrels, 1,348 5.56 mm 30-round magazines, a fifty-caliber M2 machine gun barrel, two M2 machine gun tripods, five Small Arms Protective Insert plates, medic sets, approximately 61 cases of Meals Ready to Eat, and a fully functional destructive device. He wasn’t just collecting; he was building a potential war zone in his own backyard.

The scope of the operation extended beyond domestic stockpiling. Whittington illegally exported a night vision weapon sight in January 2008, adding an international smuggling charge to his rap sheet. When investigators tallied the ammunition, they found a staggering 405,331 rounds. Asked about the massive quantity during sentencing, Whittington offered a chillingly nonchalant response: he was “saving up for a rainy day” and believed he actually possessed closer to 700,000 rounds.

A federal grand jury indicted Whittington on September 12, 2012, setting the stage for a prosecution driven by the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. This program, a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement and community organizations, aims to curb gun and gang violence and improve public safety in the Eastern District of Texas.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Batson successfully prosecuted the case, ensuring Whittington will spend the next decade behind bars. The message is clear: hoarding weapons and stolen military gear won’t be tolerated, and those who do will face the full weight of federal law.