Tacoma Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Unlawful Firearms Possession
Tacoma, WA – Brady Lee Eltz, 39, was sentenced to four years in prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun and unlawful possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Eltz was taken into custody on October 31, 2023, after Fife Police were dispatched to an auto-glass repair shop where workers reported seeing firearms in the trunk of a vehicle Eltz brought in for repair.
During the search of the vehicle’s trunk, police found three additional firearms, including a stolen rifle that had been modified to fire automatically, making it a machinegun, and a bag with two improvised explosive devices.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Office bomb technicians were called in to evaluate the devices and make them safe. One was an explosive simulator likely stolen from the U.S. Army, and the second explosive was a thick cardboard tube filled with a black flammable powder.
Eltz has a history of collecting similar armaments, false credentials, and disguises. In 2007, he had a gun magazine loaded with 30 rounds of hollow point ammunition, and in 2012, he had a stolen rifle with a silencer and multiple rifle and pistol magazines.
Eltz was prohibited from possessing any firearms because of criminal convictions, including a 2013 conviction in the Western District of Washington for unlawful possession of firearms. He was sentenced to five years in prison for that crime.
All the guns, ammunition, and auto-sear devices in this case are being forfeited to the government.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Fife Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci L. Ellsworth.
Defendant: Brady Lee Eltz
Criminal Charges: Unlawful possession of a machinegun and unlawful possession of firearms
City and State: Tacoma, Washington
Exact Date: October 31, 2023
Sentence: Four years in prison
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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