Related Federal Cases
- Bobby Joe Jenkins, Kidnapping, Tennessee 2022 · Tennessee
- George Ivory, Crack Sale Shooting, Tennessee 2015 · Tennessee
- Operation LeGend: 1,000 Arrests, 400 Firearms Seized · Tennessee
- Cowan Hill, Armed Carjackings, Tennessee 2021 · Tennessee
- Tyshjohn Jones, Armed Carjacking, Tennessee 2021 · Tennessee
Tennessee Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Silencers, and Machine Guns
Jackson, TN – A Tennessee man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of firearms, silencers, and machine guns.
Bobby Joe Brown, 42, of Obion County, Tennessee was sentenced on October 14, 2022, Chief United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson handed down the 30-month prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Brown was found guilty of violating various firearms-related laws, including possession of silencers and machine guns. The charges stem from an investigation by the Union City Police Department, the 27th Judicial Drug Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the ATF.
According to the investigation, officers with the Union City Police Department and agents with the 27th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received information that Brown had previously sold three guns, one of which was stolen. Officers went to Brown’s residence in South Fulton to speak with him regarding the stolen gun. Brown agreed to speak with the officers, and he also allowed them to search his home.
During the search, officers found a small mill/drill combo machine that appeared to have been used on multiple occasions to mill and drill aluminum. Officers also observed an 80% lower receiver lying on top of a workshop table, multiple books on fully automatic firearm and suppressor manufacturing, and a plastic tote on the floor that contained several different lengths of black painted pipe that was threaded on either end, along with flashlight tubes and freeze plugs. Officers also located several firearms, including handguns and rifles, along with many AR-15 parts, including assembled upper and lower parts kits used to fully assemble AR-15 lower receivers. One gun, a Dan Wesson .357 revolver, was found in a closet wrapped in a latex glove. That gun was reported stolen in 2008 from Obion County.
Brown admitted to making homemade silencers and machine guns. He said he conducted on-line research and had books to assist him in making the machine guns and silencers and did not think it was illegal to do so. Brown further admitted that he bought and used methamphetamine regularly.
Brown pled guilty to the 15-count indictment in this case charging him with various firearms-related violations on April 15, 2022. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
This case was also investigated by the ATF.
For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901-544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow @WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
