MONTGOMERY, Ala., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dustin Shelly Martin, age 26, of Smiths Station, Ala., and Timothy Ryan Tart, age 40, of Phenix City, Ala., were sentenced on Dec. 3, 2009, in U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Ala., for unlawfully possessing stolen explosives and hand grenades, U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary announced today. Martin and Tart are the final two Russell County residents to be sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in this case. Martin was sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison for conspiracy, disposing of stolen explosives materials, and for unlawfully possessing stolen explosives and hand grenades. Tart was sentenced to serve 33 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing hand grenades. Federal law prohibits trafficking in or possessing stolen explosives. Federal law also prohibits possessing hand grenades that have not been registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Martin previously pled guilty on July 29, 2009, and Tart on Aug. 20, 2009. Both Martin and Tart will also have to serve three years on supervised release under the supervision of a federal probation officer after their release from prison. There is no parole from federal prison.

Martin and Tart were the last of five defendants to be sentenced in the investigation. Also charged in the case were Christi Gregory, of Smiths Station, and Roscoe Thomas and Anthony Miles of Phenix City. All of the other defendants pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced. Gregory pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, disposing of stolen explosive materials, and unlawfully possessing hand grenades, and was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. Thomas pled guilty to unlawfully possessing stolen explosives materials and hand grenades, and was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Finally, Miles pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms, and was sentenced to 64 months in prison.

The investigation revealed that Martin, Gregory and Tart came into possession of stolen military explosives and hand grenades. They then transferred five U.S. Army issue M-67 hand grenades, 1.25 pounds of C-4 explosive, four M-84 stun grenades, detonation cord, and blasting caps to Thomas. This transfer occurred at Tart's residence in Phenix City. Investigators later located the explosives and grenades when executing a search warrant at Thomas' residence. Miles was also charged with possessing some of the grenades while at Tart's house; however, that charge was later dismissed when he pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing two other firearms as part of a plea agreement.

The case was investigated as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods and Middle District of Alabama's Alabama ICE programs, aimed at preventing violent crime and the illegal possession of firearms. According to U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary, "This investigation has been aggressively pursued against all of these individuals because of the danger posed by these explosives and hand grenades. All of these defendants have now been convicted of felony offenses and will serve time in federal prison because of their illegal involvement with these explosives."

This case was investigated through the joint efforts and cooperation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Russell County District Attorney's Office, the Metro Narcotics Task Force, the Phenix City Police Department, the Russell County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the 789th Ordnance Company (EOD), and the Ft. Benning Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Monica Stump.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

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