ATLANTA, GA — William Oxford, 29, of Fairburn, Georgia, was sentenced by a federal court to 5 years in prison on charges of drug trafficking, felon possession of a sawed-off shotgun, and a poorly-assembled homemade explosive device.
According to U.S. Attorney Sally Yates, Oxford had built a device made of PVC pipe that contained gun powder, live .22 caliber ammunition, and hypodermic needles.
Special Agent in Charge Gregory Gant of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Atlanta Field Division said, “As a drug-dealing felon, Oxford was a worthy law enforcement target. However, when his talk graduated to supplying guns and claims of selling homemade bombs on the street, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office quickly brought ATF into the investigation. This was a swift and cooperative investigation that effectively neutralized a growing public safety threat. Oxford was a suspect just begging for federal attention, and he got it.”
On January 14, Oxford pleaded guilty to the nine separate drug and firearms charges, and was sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison to be followed by 4 years of supervised release.
Among the evidence presented in the trial was testimony that Oxford had sold methamphetamine to a law enforcement informant on four different occasions, and on three of those occasions, also sold guns to the informant, including a sawed-off shotgun, and the makeshift bomb.