Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Prison for Unlawful Possession of Firearms

ALBUQUERQUE—Cameron Michael Williams, 38, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation, was sentenced yesterday afternoon to 41 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Williams also was sentenced to eight months in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release on a prior assault conviction, with two months to be served concurrently and six months consecutively to the 41 month sentence, for a total of 47 months in prison.

Williams was arrested on July 1, 2013, based on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition, possession of stolen firearms, and possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. According to the criminal complaint, Williams committed these three offenses in January 2013. At the time, Williams was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted on an assault with a deadly weapon charge.

On October 1, 2013, Williams entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

The BIA initiated the investigation into this case after guests of the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, New Mexico, reported that firearms were stolen from vehicles parked in the Inn’s valet parking lot in late January 2013. The investigation focused on Williams, who was then employed as a valet parking attendant, after surveillance video showed Williams in the vehicles from which the firearms were stolen. When BIA made contact with Williams at his home, they arrested him on tribal charges of larceny, possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest, and intoxication. Following Williams’ arrest on tribal charges, the FBI executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence and found three firearms, all of which had been stolen, in Williams’ backpack.

This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.