Felon in possession of gun sentenced to 15 years in prison in Houston | Texas

Houston, TX — A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Avery Frank Bass Jr. pleaded guilty March 22. U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered Bass to serve the statutory maximum sentence of 15 years, followed by three years of supervised release. The court noted that Bass posed a real danger to the community.

Law enforcement arrested Bass as part of the Houston Violent Crime Initiative announced in September 2023. “Removing violent individuals who use firearms from our communities is one of the top priorities of my office,” a Hamdani said. “The Houston Violent Crime Initiative is an innovative program aimed at reducing violent crime by using federal laws to prosecute gang members and associates in the southwest and southeast areas of Houston. The outcome of this case demonstrates that we are making progress in our fight to reduce violent and gun-related crime in the Southern District of Texas.

Local law enforcement executed an arrest warrant for Bass for aggravated robbery in August 2023. At that time, they discovered a loaded American Tactical AR pistol and a loaded Glock 17 9mm on the floor of the driver’s side where Bass was sitting. A review of his criminal history revealed three prior convictions for robbery, all involving the use of a firearm.

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Zenon-Matos prosecuted the case alongside trial attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Shelia Lafferty of the Justice Department’s Violent Crimes and Racketeering Section.