Two Topeka Men Sentenced for Illegal Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two Topeka, Kan., men have been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms.

Eric L. Price, 25, and Cortez T. Timley, 26, both of Topeka, were sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. Price was sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison without parole. Timley was sentenced to six years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

Price pleaded guilty on April 28, 2015, to being a felon in possession of firearms. Price admitted that he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun , a Romanian Arms 7.62-caliber rifle, a Beretta 9mm pistol and a Masterpiece Arms 9mm pistol on June 13, 2014.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Price has prior felony convictions for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault and battery.

Timley pleaded guilty on April 28, 2015, to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Timley admitted that he and Price were passengers in a vehicle on June 13, 2014, and were in possession of the firearms to protect their drug supply. Timley also admitted that there was a quantity of marijuana in the trunk of the vehicle, which they intended to sell to another person.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the FBI, the Topeka, Kan., Police Department and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.