United States Department of Justice

United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello
Northern District of California

FORMER SAN DIEGO POLICE OFFICER AND ASSOCIATE SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CONSPIRING TO POSSESS FIREARMS WITH SILENCERS

Former Police Officer and Associate Sought Guns with Obliterated Serial Numbers and Silencers to Commit Armed Robberies

OAKLAND—United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced that Thomas Richard Williams and Rafael Miranda pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess firearms equipped with silencers and were both sentenced by the Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong, United States District Judge, to the statutory maximum sentence of five years prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. This guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oakland Police Department.

In pleading guilty, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda admitted that they agreed to obtain firearms equipped with silencers and obliterated serial numbers so that they could use those firearms to commit armed robberies. Specifically, they admitted that on March 25, 2007, Mr. Williams contacted a government informant and told him that he needed two .22 caliber handguns with silencers to commit a robbery. On March 30, 2007, Mr. Williams spoke with the informant in a conversation that was recorded by the FBI and said that he would be willing to pay $5,000 for the two weapons equipped with silencers, and that he would confirm the purchase price with Mr. Miranda, who was providing the funds for the purchase of the weapons. On May 6, 2007, Mr. Williams met with the informant at the Harris Ranch Restaurant near Coalinga, California. At that meeting, which the FBI recorded using hidden cameras and microphones, Mr. Williams gave the informant $5,000 in cash that had been provided by Mr. Miranda to purchase the two silencer-equipped firearms. On June 28, 2007, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda drove from Southern California to Crockett, California, and met with the informant to obtain the silencer-equipped firearms. During the meeting with the informant, which was again recorded by a hidden camera and microphone, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda physically held and examined the two .22 caliber handguns equipped with silencers and obliterated serial numbers. Mr. Williams indicated his approval of the weapons and told the informant that he had done a good job. Thereafter, the FBI SWAT team for the San Francisco Field Division arrested Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda.

A federal grand jury indicted Mr. Williams, 61, and Mr. Miranda, 29, both of San Diego, California, on July 12, 2007, for conspiring to possess firearms with silencers that were neither registered to them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record nor identified by serial number, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. On March 11, 2008, pursuant to plea agreements, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda pleaded guilty to the charge contained in the indictment. Immediately following their guilty pleas, Mr. Williams and Mr. Miranda were each sentenced to five years prison. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong, United States District Judge. Judge Armstrong also sentenced the defendants to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered them both to pay a $100 special assessment. In doing so, Judge Armstrong imposed the maximum sentence available for a violation of Title 18, United State Code, Section 371. The defendants, who have both been in custody since their arrest, will begin serving their sentences immediately.

Garth Hire and Chinhayi J. Coleman are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Legal Technician Cynthia Daniel. The prosecution is the result of a three-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oakland Police Department.