Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Joplin Woman Sentenced to 19 Years for Illegal Firearm
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Tracy Arlene Smith, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 25, 2018, Smith was found guilty at trial of one count of being a felon and an unlawful user of cocaine and methamphetamine in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to evidence introduced during the trial, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence located in Joplin, on June 22, 2017. During the execution of the search warrant, members of the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team seized Smith’s purse, which contained a CDM Prod. Inc., .22-caliber pistol, loaded with six rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. Officers also seized drug paraphernalia.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is an unlawful user of controlled substances, or who has been convicted of a felony, to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Smith, who was on parole at the time she committed the offense, has five prior felony convictions for forgery, four prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance (on three separate occasions) and assault.
This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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