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Nashville Man Convicted of Firearm and Drug Charges
Albert Franklin, Jr., a/k/a Frank Nitty, 51, of Nashville, Tennessee, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in Nashville yesterday of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute Oxycodone, using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The convictions stem from a reverse sting operation conducted by the Metro Nashville Police Department in January 2010. According to testimony at trial, Franklin, a convicted felon and owner of Mustang Sally’s Bar on Dickerson Pike, was involved in a drug deal with a confidential informant. When the informant produced the pills, which were actually placebos, Franklin produced a loaded revolver and robbed the informant of the pills, which he believed to be Oxycontin.
Franklin then forced the informant from the bar at gunpoint, leading to a stand-off with the Metro Nashville Police Department. After approximately one hour, Franklin surrendered to police. The firearm used in the robbery was recovered from inside an interior wall of the bar.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Rivera praised the jury’s verdict, stating, ‘We are pleased with the jury’s verdict and will seek a sentence that will insure the defendant and his violent acts are removed from this community for a long period of time.’
Franklin faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William J. Haynes, Jr. on December 6, 2013. Co-defendant Anthony Griffin is awaiting trial and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Philip H. Wehby and Lynne T. Ingram.
Franklin’s convictions highlight the ongoing efforts of federal and local law enforcement to combat gun and drug crimes in the community. As ATF Special Agent in Charge Jeff Fulton noted, ‘ATF remains committed to vigorously investigating violent crime and making our communities safer.’
Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson added, ‘Albert Franklin posed a significant danger to the East Nashville community and decided to continue breaking the law despite prior serious convictions. I am grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners for helping ensure that those who repeatedly challenge the safety of our neighborhoods are held fully accountable.’
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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