Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

VICTORIA, Texas – A 31-year-old Tango Blast gang member has been ordered to federal prison for 15 years following his convictions in two separate indictments, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. William Chance Wallace, of Victoria, pleaded guilty Feb. 10, 2016, to witness retaliation and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

At a hearing before U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey in Victoria yesterday, Wallce received a sentence of 180 months in federal prison on both convictions to be served concurrently. The 15-year-sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

On May 12, 2015, law enforcement executed an arrest warrant for a state parole violation, at which time they found ammunition in Wallace’s pocket as well as a weapon he had tossed away from his body. They also found the holster for the weapon in his vehicle. Wallace is a five-time convicted felon – three for drug-related crimes as well as two convictions for aggravated assault with deadly weapon. As such, Wallace is prohibited from possession firearms or ammunition.

During the investigation and while he was in custody, Wallace ordered an associate to post a picture of a criminal complaint with the name of a witness in a different investigation. Additionally, Wallace had the individual write a comment on the post calling the witness a snitch. As a result of the Facebook post, there were a number of threats of violence made against the witness.

Wallace remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Booth prosecuted the cases.

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