DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Friday, February 26, 2016
Christopher P. Canova
, United States Attorney
Contact: Amy Alexander

Seven People Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses

PANAMA CITY/PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Defendants in seven cases were arraigned this week in federal court after a grand jury returned indictments charging them with firearms-related crimes. The indictments were announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The defendants are:

  • Hess, William Howard, 54, Daphne, Alabama;
  • Kelly, Terrence Toboris, 37, Pensacola;
  • Lange, Arthur Kyle, 30, Panama City;
  • Murphy, Leroy Romaro, 51, Pensacola;
  • Randall, Robert, 31, Panama City;
  • Richey, Tristan M., 30, Pensacola; and
  • Smith, Luther C., 44, Pensacola.

The firearms-related charges are:

  • Selling a firearm to a convicted felon, (Hess and Smith);
  • Possessing a non-registered firearm, (Hess); and
  • Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, (Kelly, Lange, Murphy, Randall, and Richey);

Additionally, Lange and Randall are also charged with controlled substance crimes.

These cases resulted from investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Pensacola Police Department, and the ATF Gun Crime Response Team. Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg, Edwin F. Knight, J. Ryan Love, and Jeffrey M. Tharp are prosecuting the cases.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

 

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Tampa Field Division