Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Armed Career Criminal Receives 15 Year Sentence for Gun Possession
Memphis, TN – Antonio Buffington, 45, has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Acting United States Attorney announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on November 23, 2018, Memphis Police Department officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 4200 block of Gladstone Road. The officers were met by the wife of the defendant, Q.B., who advised that she and her husband were in an argument regarding money.
Buffington reportedly retrieved a firearm from a bedside table, pulled the hammer back, and demanded his wife withdraw money from a local ATM. The pair went to a nearby gas station where Q.B. withdrew money from an ATM and provided some to the defendant. The defendant then dropped his wife off at her house and left.
Later, when Buffington returned to the house, his wife called law enforcement. When officers arrived, they recovered an Interarms Industries .44 caliber revolver on the front seat of his vehicle. The defendant was taken into custody. After waiving his Miranda rights, Buffington informed officers that he was in possession of the gun and did take the gun from the nightstand to his vehicle.
Buffington is a convicted felon having previously been convicted of Criminal Attempt: Aggravated Assault, as well as having convictions for Aggravated Robbery. As a result of his felony convictions, Buffington is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition, and was determined to be an armed career criminal under the federal sentencing guidelines and subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 180 months.
On March 2, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Buffington to 180 months in federal prison followed by two years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel D. Winnig prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. SAUSA Winnig is currently assigned from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office for the purpose of prosecuting violent crimes and firearms offenses in federal court.