United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

CONVICTED FELON SENTENCED TO
NEARLY SIX YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR POSSESSING FIREARM

DALLAS – U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater sentenced Ricky Loring Thompson, 39, of Wichita Falls, Texas, to 70 months in prison, following his conviction for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

On March 2, 2007, state law enforcement officers in Wichita County, Texas, arrested Thompson with a .45 caliber pistol. Thompson had previously been convicted in state court for robbery and felony drug possession. He was indicted by a federal grand jury for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in June 2007, and in September 2007, he pled guilty to that charge.

The case was adopted for federal prosecution through the Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiative, a federal program designed for the swift and aggressive prosecution of firearm offenses. U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Burkburnett Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay.

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