Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Houston convicted felon has been sentenced to prison for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Bobby Ray Emanis, 40, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on February 18, 2025.
According to information presented in court, in September 2023, a deputy with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a suspicious vehicle on County Road 2286 in Cleveland. The vehicle was parked in the roadway with its lights off. The truck had no front license plate and no registration sticker in the windshield. Emanis was identified as the driver and informed the deputy there was a sawed-off shotgun behind the seat. The loaded shotgun was recovered. Further investigation revealed Emanis was a convicted felon, having been previously convicted of numerous violations in Liberty County, Nacogdoches County, and Harris County. As a convicted felon, Emanis knew he was prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn.
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