Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Nashville Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Trying to Bribe Witness
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – February 25, 2016 – Laquanda Boyce,33, of Nashville, Tenn., was sentenced today to serve five years in prison for her role in attempting to bribe the victim of a shooting, announced David Rivera, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Boyce pleaded guilty on September 4, 2015, to conspiracy to tamper with a witness. The shooter, Michael Calloway, was sentenced last week to serve 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, conspiracy to tamper with a witness and attempting to obstruct justice.
According to the statement of facts, on the morning of April 12, 2015, Calloway and Boyce were assaulting a woman at the J.C. Napier housing development when another person intervened and tried to protect the woman being assaulted. Later in the afternoon, Calloway and Boyce returned with Calloway carrying a firearm. Upon seeing the witness again, Calloway fired eight or nine shots at him, striking him once in the leg. The gunshot victim was treated at Vanderbilt Hospital and subsequently identified Calloway as the shooter.
Calloway was arrested the following day and learned that he would likely face federal firearms charges. He and Boyce then devised a scheme to pay the witness $1200 in exchange for his refusal to testify or for testifying that he had mistakenly identified Calloway as the person who had shot him.
Calloway and Boyce were subsequently indicted on witness tampering and obstruction charges.
These cases were investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Gang Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy.
# # # # #