Previously convicted felon from Albuquerque faces federal charge of illegally possessing firearms in truck

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico
15 April 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – William Westfall, 36, of Albuquerque, New Mexico has been charged in a criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will make his initial appearance in federal court in Albuquerque on April 16.

According to the complaint, Westfall allegedly committed the offense in Bernalillo County, New Mexico on May 9, 2019. Westfall was allegedly traveling in a truck in Albuquerque with six firearms concealed in the vehicle. Westfall allegedly knew firearms were inside the truck although he was prohibited by federal law from possessing these firearms based on previous felony convictions for aggravated assault and aggravated battery with deadly weapons.

Westfall is currently in custody pending a detention hearing. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A criminal complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The FBI Violent Crime Task Force (VCTF) investigated this case. The VCTF was created in 2019 with agents and officers from the FBI, New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police Department, and Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, and recently added representatives from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Mexico Corrections Department, and Santa Fe Adult Correctional Facility. Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia Simms is prosecuting the case.

Press Release Number: 20-068