Charles Alan Curington, Gun Smuggling, Tyler TX, 2023

TYLER, Texas – A grim tale of gunrunning has reached its conclusion in the Eastern District of Texas. Charles Alan Curington, a 52-year-old from Farmersville, has been sentenced to 27 months behind bars for his daring attempt to sell a stolen machinegun.

Curington’s crime spree began when he lured Craig Marcus Cooper into a deadly deal. Together with Colten Barrow, they planned to meet an interested buyer at Duke’s Truck Stop in Van Zandt County. But the buyer was no ordinary client; it was an undercover federal agent. The trio’s plot unraveled as they were detained with the 9mm, fully automatic machinegun equipped with a silencer, reported stolen a decade earlier.

The charges stacked up quickly for Curington and his accomplices. A federal grand jury indicted them on March 27, 2013, for firearms violations. Today, justice has been served as Curington was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.

Cooper, who was also implicated in the scheme, received an 18-month sentence, while Barrow faced 24 months behind bars. This case is a testament to the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative’s commitment to reducing gun and gang violence across Texas.

The investigation was spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble taking the lead in prosecution. Curington’s sentence sends a stark warning against illegal firearms activities in the Eastern District of Texas.

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