U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
A 22-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Avery Frank Bass Jr. pleaded guilty on March 22. U.S. District Judge David Hittner ordered Bass to serve the statutory maximum of 15 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Bass was considered a true danger to the community.
Law enforcement arrested Bass as part of the Houston Violent Crime Initiative, which was announced in September 2023.
“Removing violent individuals who use firearms from our communities is one of the top priorities of my office,” said Hamdani. “The Houston Violent Crime Initiative is an innovative program aimed at reducing violent crime by employing federal laws to prosecute gang members and associates in the southwest and southeast areas of Houston. The result in this case demonstrates that we are making progress in our fight to reduce violent and firearms crimes 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 9mm Glock 17 on the driver’s side floorboard where Bass had been sitting. A review of his criminal history showed he had three prior felony convictions for robbery, all involving the use of a firearm.
Bass will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Zenon-Matos prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Shelia Lafferty from the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.