Local man pleads guilty to federal gun offense
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The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
POCATELLO – Tyrell Dixey, 33, of Fort Hall, pleaded guilty Wednesday in United States District Court to possession of an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.
According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 30, 2017, a vehicle was stopped by the Fort Hall Police Department. Dixey was a passenger in the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, officers found a Mossberg, Model 500A, 12 gauge shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches in length. The shotgun was later determined to have Dixey’s fingerprints on it. Sentencing is set for April 30, 2018, before Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches in length, unless the firearm is registered with ATF. Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release up to three years.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Fort Hall Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.