Chattanooga Man Sentenced For Firearm And Explosives Violations

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - On November 1, 2024, Anthony Christopher Lively, 41, of Chattanooga, was sentenced to 54 months in prison by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Following imprisonment, Lively will be on supervised release for three years.

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Lively agreed to plead guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm silencer and unregistered destructive devices, in violation of the National Firearms Act ("NFA"), 26 U.S.C. §§ 5841. 5861(d), and 5871.

According to filed court documents, in August of 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Lively's Chattanooga home. Investigators located and seized a Grand Power Stribog, Model SP9A1, 9-millimter, short-barrel rifle (8-inch barrel length) equipped with a foldable stock and a fully loaded magazine; multiple firearm magazines; multiple lists detailing explosive components and parts; and assorted ammunition. Further investigation revealed that prior to the execution of the warrant, Lively enlisted a family member to remove contraband from his home. From that family member's home, law enforcement located and seized a firearm silencer; improvised explosive devices, commonly referred to as "pipe bombs" and "Molotov cocktails", an improvised incendiary device, commonly referred to as a "Molotov cocktail", and various fuzes, initiators, and other explosives-related components. Lively later admitted to purchasing and modifying the short-barrel rifle and firearm silencer and constructing the pipe bombs and Molotov cocktail. He also admitted that he directed his family member to remove the items from his home. The firearms and devices were not registered, to Lively or otherwise, in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by the NFA.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations-Chattanooga Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Chattanooga Field Office; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chattanooga Police Department Bomb Squad and Special Victims Unit; and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin T. Brown represented the United States.

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.

###