Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to seven years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

According to court documents, Timothy Cureton, 27, possessed a firearm in a Facebook live video posted to his Facebook account on January 25, 2018. Officers with the Richmond Police Department saw this video. In the video, Cureton held a brown Glock handgun with an extended magazine. 

Officers suspected that Cureton stayed at an apartment in Creighton Court. Just five days later, on January 30, 2018, officers received information that individuals were storing illegal narcotics at an apartment in Creighton Court. Officers went to the suspected residence that was the subject of the and upon entering the residence, observed drug paraphernalia and then obtained a search warrant for that residence. During execution of that search warrant, officers located two firearms in a bedroom closet. One of those firearms was a brown Glock handgun, consistent with the firearm Cureton displayed in the Facebook live video. Inside the same bedroom of the residence, officers located Cureton’s social security card and a document with Cureton’s name on it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Mansfield prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-108.

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