Timothy Richard Ray Riggins, Unlawful Possession of Firearm and Improvised Destructive Device, Washington 2019

A Moses Lake man has been indicted for unlawful possession of a firearm and improvised destructive device, according to a recent announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington.

Timothy Richard Ray Riggins, 32, of Moses Lake, is accused of violating 26 U.S.C. §§ 5845(a)(8), (f), and 5861(d) by possessing an unregistered firearm/destructive device, which carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and up to three years supervised release.

The charges stem from an early morning incident on or about November 3, 2019, when the Moses Lake Police Department received a 911 call from a reporting party claiming Riggins had assaulted her, stolen her vehicle, and was in possession of a ‘bomb.’ The reporting party advised the explosive device was in a fanny pack and she was concerned for the safety of a mutual friend.

MLPD was familiar with Riggins, a documented Norteno criminal street gang member, and knew he had an active felony warrant for his arrest from the Washington State Department of Corrections. The reporting party’s vehicle was located, and Riggins was tracked to a nearby residence.

After applying for and executing a warrant to search the residence, police found Riggins hiding inside a top-loading washing machine in one of the rooms. While searching along Riggins’ path of travel from the stolen vehicle to the residence, police found a fanny pack that contained an operable improvised destructive device, more specifically described as a large commercial firework with more than 20 nails taped to the outside, with a large fuse.

Two additional similar improvised destructive devices were located near the fanny pack. This case is being investigated under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.

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