RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond man is likely going to prison after he flashed a gun on Facebook live.
Timothy Cureton Jr., 29, was a convicted felony and not allowed to possess a gun when he went live on Facebook in January 2018.
"[He] was seen by Richmond Police officers in a Facebook live video posted on January 25, displaying a brown handgun with an extended magazine," a spokesperson for the United States Attorney's Office explained. "Officers suspected that Cureton stayed at an apartment in Creighton Court. Just five days later, on January 30, officers received information that individuals were storing illegal narcotics at an apartment in Creighton Court."
A search of the apartment turned up two guns. One of the guns matched the gun seen in the Facebook live video.
"Inside the same bedroom of the residence, officers located Cureton’s social security card and a document with Cureton’s name on it," the spokesperson said.
"Video is no different than a police officer walking through Creighton and laying eyes on you possessing that gun," CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone said.
The gun seen on Facebook live was stolen, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesperson.
"We use social media to find the bad guys all of the time and it works really well because they want to boast. Rock on. I mean it makes it easy, we like it," Miles Turner, who runs Law Enforcement Consulting LLC, said.
His job is to help investigators search social media through criminal and background checks.
According to Turner, this type of behavior "is not really uncommon."
Cureton pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and faces. He faces maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Stone said that mandatory time is imminent, but that by agreeing to a plea, Cureton could reduce his time behind bars
"In Federal Court, you do get a little bump down if you claim responsibility. If it's a slam dunk case, usually, the best route to go."
