Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Eugene Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Firearms
EUGENE, Ore. – On June 16, 2015, Billy Jess Barnard, 30, of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael McShane to ten years in federal prison for unlawful possession of firearms. Upon his release from prison, Barnard will be on supervised release for three years.
On December 10, 2013, Eugene Police Department officers arrested Barnard in a stolen vehicle and found him with two handguns. A search of his phones revealed photos of Barnard holding multiple firearms, including an AK-47 type pistol and a shotgun. Barnard has prior felony convictions for, among other things, fleeing or attempting to elude police and burglary in the second degree.
In addition to his federal case, the Lane County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting Barnard in two separate criminal cases arising from other events in 2013.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eugene Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Lichvarcik, with the assistance of Lane County Deputy District Attorneys Paul Graebner and Katherine Green.
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