ALBUQUERQUE – Kristian Thomas, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court to 96 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm. Thomas will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.
Thomas was charged by criminal complaint on March 27, 2015, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the complaint, on March 26, 2015, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers arrested Thomas at a pawnshop on Bridge SW in Albuquerque on an outstanding warrant. The officers found a revolver in Thomas’ pants pocket during a search incident to arrest. Thomas was subsequently indicted on April 28, 2015, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 25, 2016, Thomas pled guilty to the indictment, and admitted that on March 26, 2015, he possessed a revolver, which he was not permitted to possess because of his status as a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and APD and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Cairns.
Thomas, whose criminal record includes convictions for armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and attempted residential burglary, was prosecuted under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution primarily based on their prior criminal convictions with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.