Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

DENVER – Michael Eugene Simpson, age 35, of Aurora, Colorado, was sentenced late last week to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison for gun and drug charges U.S. Attorney John Walsh and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Ken Croke announced. The defendant was also ordered to spend 3 years on supervised release after serving his prison sentence.  He was remanded into custody at the end of the sentencing hearing.

Simpson was first charged by Criminal Complaint on June 20, 2014.  He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on June 30, 2014.  On January 1, 2015, Simpson was charged in a superseding indictment.  He was convicted on April 9, 2015 following a three day jury trial of 13 of the 14 counts charged in the superseding indictment.  The jury deliberated for approximately 5 hours before delivering their verdicts.  Simpson was convicted of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of an unregistered destructive device and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.  The defendant was sentenced on October 9, 2015.

According to court documents, as well as information presented to the jury during trial, on June 19, 2014, at approximately 3:00 a.m., law enforcement special agents and officers executed a search warrant in Aurora, Colorado.  The address was the residence of Michael Simpson.  Aurora Police Department and ATF had previously received information that Simpson, a convicted felon, was in possession of numerous firearms and was participating in drug activity.  That morning, upon approaching the residence, law enforcement officials found Simpson in a vehicle in the driveway. He did not comply with commands and instead turned the vehicle on and tried to flee. He attempted to back out the driveway but could not because a law enforcement vehicle was parked directly behind him. He proceeded to back up into the vehicle several times until law enforcement officers broke the driver side window and tased him.

Agents and officers then conducted a lawful search of the residence, law enforcement officers found:  (1) a loaded .40 Smith and Wesson firearm in a vehicle outside the house; (2) a loaded, Cobray 12 gauge Streetsweeper shotgun in the garage; (3) a loaded, .380 Bersa handgun in a safe from a downstairs closet; and, (4) 19.9 grams of cocaine in a plastic bag on the kitchen counter.  In the same safe where the .380 Bersa handgun was found, law enforcement officers found over 100 rounds of ammunition, a digital scale, a beaker, and plastic bags used to distribute cocaine.  Law enforcement officers found ammunition in two kitchen cabinets, on top of the refrigerator, and on a desk downstairs.  A razor blade, digital scale, and plastic bags were also found in a kitchen cabinet.

Simpson, a member of the 83 Gangster Crips, has previous drug-related felony convictions.  His felony convictions prohibit him from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

“A small number of criminals account for a large part of the crime problem, and this case is a perfect example,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.   “Because of close team work between with Aurora Police Department and ATF that produced the key evidence, our office was able to prosecute this dangerous gang member successfully, obtain a severe sentence from the court and make the streets of Aurora safer.”

“Simpson is a dangerous felon with little regard for the safety of those around him. Bringing this criminal to justice was a team effort, and we appreciate the great work done by our partners in the Aurora Police Department and the Colorado Attorney’s Office during this case,” Agent Croke said. “The ATF is proud to play a role in making Colorado’s streets safer.”

"We are fortunate to have positive working relationships with our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal level. The joint efforts in this case led to a successful arrest and conviction," said Chief Metz.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Aurora Police Department.

The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason St. Julien and Robert Brown.

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