DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of New Mexico

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Damon P. Martinez
, United States Attorney
Contact: Elizabeth Martinez

Hagerman Man Sentenced Ten Years in Federal Prison for Violating Firearms Laws

Terry Lynn Little Prosecuted as Part of “Worst of the Worst” Anti-Violence Initiative

ALBUQUERQUE – Terry Lynn Little Jr., 33, of Hagerman, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to ten years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Little was arrested in Oct. 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of firearms and ammunition in Eddy County, N.M.  At the time, Little was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because previously he had been convicted of felony offenses including criminal sexual penetration, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, and failure to register as a sex offender.  Little subsequently was indicted on Jan. 22, 2014, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Little pled guilty on April 3, 2014, to Count 1 of the indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Little admitted that on Sept. 29, 2013, he possessed a shotgun despite knowing that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces and Roswell offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.

Little was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution.  Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

###

Phoenix Field Division