Convicted felon sent to prison again for having illegal guns

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old resident of Houston has been ordered to prison for a second time following his conviction of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Joffre Cross III pleaded guilty Feb. 5.

Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ordered Cross to serve 57-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court discussed additional information including his prior conviction pertaining to the theft and sale of controlled substances from a military hospital while Cross was in the U.S. Army. In handing down the sentence, Judge Rosenthal increased the term of imprisonment due to the number of firearms Cross had built himself.

On Feb. 20, 2019, authorities executed a federal search warrant at the Cross residence. Upon entry, they located an AK-style rifle and approximately 2200 rounds of ammunition.

Having been convicted in April 2008 in North Carolina federal court for distribution of controlled substances, he is prohibited per federal law of possessing any firearms or ammunition.

At the time of the search they also found a homemade pistol and three homemade rifles.

“Preventing potentially violent criminal activity by intercepting illegally obtained firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition is at the core of the ATF mission,” said Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Leveraging our partnerships to disrupt the shooting cycle remains our focus.”

Cross has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI and ATF conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Schammel is prosecuting the case.