Kingsport Man Sentenced To Over 21 Years In Prison After Jury Trial Conviction

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - On July 22, 2024, Eric Eugene Robinson, 55, of Kingsport, Tennessee, was sentenced to 262 months imprisonment by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Following his incarceration, Robinson will be on supervised release for a period of five years.

Robinson was convicted by a federal jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1), following a two-day trial in April 2024.

The evidence and testimony presented during the trial showed that in early September 2020, surveillance was conducted at the Dorothy Street residence, which determined that Robinson, a convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm. A search warrant was executed at the residence by the Kingsport Police Department and, during the search, a 9mm pistol, with a loaded magazine, was located beneath a couch in the living room of the residence. An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF") testified that the firearm was manufactured in Brazil and imported into Bainbridge, Georgia, before ultimately arriving in Tennessee.

United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.

Kingsport Police Department officer Mike Slater, formerly a Task Force Officer assigned to the ATF, led the investigation with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the ATF.

Assistant United States Attorney B. Todd Martin and Special Assistant United States Attorney AnCharlene Davis represented the United States at trial.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options for prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crimes face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community face.

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