In a case that has moved at near “light speed” through the Federal justice system, former Williamson County Court-at-Law Judge Timothy Wright has been sentenced to 18 months in Federal Prison for illegal arms trading. His transactions included some sales to illegal aliens.
Federal prosecutors say that between June, 2014, and March of this year that Wright sold more than 60 pistols, without a federal license, and some of those guns were sold to felons, and other firearms ended up in Mexico, as previously reported by Breitbart Texas on April 11.
Wrights home in Georgetown was raided in late March, he was arrested about a week later, spent a night in jail in Austin, and then plead guilty in federal court in May. He then resigned from the bench in Williamson County, saying that “No one is above the law, especially judges.”
“While sworn to uphold the law, Judge Timothy Wright repeatedly violated federal laws governing the sale of firearms,” according to U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin Jr. in a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. “He falsified official firearms records to hide the true identity of the real buyer and then lied to federal investigators about his crimes. These are serious crimes for which he has been held accountable.”
In addition to the prison term NBCDFW reported, United States District Judge Sam Sparks ordered that Wright pay a $15,000 fine and be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.
Among the firearms sold that ended up in Mexico were some Zastava M92PV that Wright bought at a store in Georgetown. The BATFE lists them as “pistols” but they are a cut down version of the AK-47, firing the full size 7.62 x 39 Russian round. Manufactured without a shoulder stock the weapon functions exactly as those used by enemy troops since the Korean War, including Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The AK-47 family of rifles is the preferred weapon of Mexican cartels.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was the lead agency in the investigation, and according to ATF Houston Special Agent in Charge Robert Elder, “Thankfully, arrests and convictions of elected public officials is a rare event. Nevertheless, the sentencing today of Timothy Wright highlights the fact that ATF always has, and will continue, to prosecute individuals who violate federal firearms laws. The ripple effect of putting an untold number of firearms into Mexico is impossible to gauge, so it is imperative that we remain vigilant on all fronts.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to individuals who facilitate the illegal sale and movement of weapons and related items. Combating weapons smuggling is a top priority for Homeland Security Investigations,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge, Aristides Jimenez, HSI San Antonio, in the DOJ statement referenced above. “Through collaborative law enforcement with our federal, state and local partners, we aggressively investigate individuals involved in these practices, regardless of their status or position and prevent weapons from falling into the hands of drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations.”
Rob Milford is a news contributor to Breitbart Texas. You can follow him on Facebook.
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