Felon from Arizona convicted of firearm, ammo possession, including ‘ghost gun’
May 21, 2022, 7:15 AM
PHOENIX – A convicted felon from Arizona was found guilty of illegally possessing more than 20 firearms, including a “ghost gun,” and thousands of rounds of ammunition, authorities said Friday.
A federal jury convicted Todd Gehman Howard, 60, of Kingman last week, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Howard was previously convicted in federal court in Washington state in 2010 for false statements and harboring or concealing a fugitive.
FBI agents served a search warrant at Howard’s residence on Oct. 11, 2019, and found 23 guns, including 21 in a bedroom closet safe, and about 7,600 rounds of ammunition.
Prosecutors say one of the guns in the safe was a privately made semiautomatic rifle that was forged in Australia and made its way to Arizona via Washington.
When Howard was indicted for his prior felony, the FBI said he was a Patriot Movement member — aka Sovereign Citizen — who claimed that the federal government has no authority over him.
“The Department of Justice takes seriously the prohibited possession of firearms,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in Friday’s release.
“This office will continue to prosecute such cases vigorously, especially cases such as this that involve federal felons possessing large quantities of firearms and ammunition.”
