Ex-County Judge Gets 18 Months In Prison For Selling Guns

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AUSTIN (AP) — Disgraced former Williamson County Court-at-Law Judge Timothy Wright was sentenced Friday to 18 months in federal prison for illegally selling guns and lying about the deals, including weapons peddled to criminals.

Wright, 70, of Georgetown, pleaded guilty in May to engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and to making false statements to a government agent. He resigned following his guilty pleas.

Wright also was fined $15,000; he had faced a possible penalty of up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors say that since June 2014, Wright sold more than 60 firearms without a federal license, including deals with felons, who by law are barred from possessing guns. Some of his gun sales were sold to two people who were smuggling the firearms across the Texas border into Mexico.

"While sworn to uphold the law, Judge Timothy Wright repeatedly violated federal laws governing the sale of firearms," according to U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin Jr. "... He falsified official firearms records to hide the true identity of the real buyer and then lied to federal investigators about his crimes. These are serious crimes for which he has been held accountable."

Wright apologized in May and said no one was above the law, "especially not judges."

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