Judge to Resign, Surrender Law License After Guilty Plea

Williamson County Court-at-Law No. 2 Judge Tim Wright, second from left, apologizes to the people of Williamson County after pleading guilty to two federal felonies on May 28. His lawyers, Joe Turner, far left, and Jeff Senter, far right, listen.

Judge Tim Wright of Georgetown now faces five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two federal criminal charges alleging that he sold guns without a license and lied to federal agents.

See Related Video: Judge Wright to Resign

Wright will also resign as the Williamson County Court-at-Law No. 2 judge, and surrender his law license.

Wright pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of false statement to government agents. Both charges are felonies that could have each brought up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Originally, Wright faced nine charges, but the government on May 27 filed a superseding information that only charged the two crimes for which Wright pleaded guilty. Under the plea agreement, the government recommended a total of five years in prison for Wright. The judge also agreed to abandon his ownership interest in 49 firearms.

"While sworn to uphold the law, Judge Timothy Wright repeatedly violated federal laws governing the sale of firearms. He sold dozens of firearms without license, many of which went to people smuggling them to Mexico. He also falsified official firearms records to hide the true identity of the real buyer. These are serious crimes for which he is being held accountable," said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin Jr. in a statement.

Wright Apologizes

After his May 28 rearraignment and plea, Wright addressed the people of Williamson County in a prewritten statement that he read to the press.

Wright said, "It is with deep regret that I am announcing that I am resigning my position as judge of the Williamson County Court-at-Law No. 2, effective immediately. Just a few moments ago I entered a plea of guilty to violating federal firearms regulations and making false statements. I am guilty of these violations and now stand ready to accept full responsibility for my actions. No one is above the law, especially not judges. I sincerely apologize to my family, friends and the people of Williamson County for any discredit and embarrassment that I may have created as a result of my actions. In addition to my resignation I am voluntarily surrendering my license to practice law, my concealed handgun license and my federal firearms license. I hope that you can find in your hearts the willingness to forgive me."

Austin solo Joe Turner, Wright's co-counsel, said about Wright's guilty plea: "I think it's a sad day today—a sad ending to an otherwise spectacular and stellar judicial career. Everyone in Williamson County and actually Travis County and everybody who appears before this judge loves him. They know how much he cares about the people who come in front of him. But he violated a federal statute and, as he said today, he's going to hold himself accountable. He stepped up to the plate and accepted full responsibility for it, and you've got to respect a man for that. It's not an easy day."

About the Charges

In the plea agreement, Wright admitted that some of the government's allegations against him were true. He conceded that the government could have proven the facts if the case had gone to trial.

Wright admitted that he sold more than 60 guns to two people with the goal of making a profit. Wright didn't have a federal license to sell guns at the time, although he knew that he needed one.

On Sept. 23, 2014, ATF agents discovered that Wright bought more than 80 guns in a span of several months. They interviewed him, and Wright said he sold firearms at gun shows. The ATF told him he needed a federal firearms license to sell more guns. He agreed to stop selling until he had a license.

During the application process, Wright received training about responsibilities of being a licensed gun dealer and about federal firearms laws. Among other regulations, he learned about a prohibition against selling guns to people with felony convictions. The ATF issued Wright a license on Dec. 15, 2014, but Wright didn't get his license in the mail or begin acting as a licensed dealer until early January 2015.

The two people who bought guns from Wright were illegally smuggling firearms into Mexico. Mexican law enforcement recovered two guns with serial numbers that Wright had purchased and sold to the two buyers in July 2014. The ATF apprehended one of the buyers in November 2014, and the buyer told agents about the second buyer, whom ATF agents also apprehended. Both of the buyers told ATF agents that they bought guns from Wright.

The first buyer whom the ATF had apprehended assisted the ATF in investigating Wright by talking with him on the phone in front of agents and setting up a deal to buy guns. Wright took an order from the buyer for two Glock pistols in December 2014, when Wright still hadn't received his federal firearms license in the mail.

"Instead of waiting for his license, then acquiring and selling the firearms as a licensed dealer, Wright acquired and sold the guns illegally," the plea agreement said. When Wright purchased the two Glocks, he filled out a form that said he was the actual buyer, when he knew that he was getting them for the first buyer. After he bought the Glocks, Wright delivered them to the first buyer.

The ATF wanted to know if Wright would sell a gun to a known felon. The first buyer helped the ATF by introducing to Wright an ATF undercover informant who used the alias "Juan Carlos." Juan Carlos told Wright that he had been convicted of a felony seven years ago.

In March 2015, an ATF agent interviewed Wright, who said he hadn't sold any guns between September 2014 and January 2015. Wright also told the agent that he did not allow Juan Carlos to attend firearms sales after Wright had learned that Juan Carlos was a felon. But Wright knew both statements were false because he had sold guns in December 2014, and Juan Carlos was present for gun sales three times—and held guns in his hands—after Wright had learned he was a felon.