Johnson City felon gets 15 years in prison for Facebook pic with gun
KNOXVILLE — A Johnson City man was sentenced Thursday to more than 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Malik First Born Allah Farrad, also known as Marvin Maurice Buckles, 41, was ordered to serve 188 months in federal prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Knoxville.
In fall 2013, Johnson City police began an investigation into suspected criminal conduct by Farrad, examining his use of social media, specifically Facebook. Investigators found that in October 2013 Farrad uploaded a photograph of three handgun atop the toilet seat in his bathroom. Since he had numerous previous felony convictions for drug, gun and violent offenses, it was illegal for him to have such weapons.
Working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, police obtained a search warrant for the entirety of Farrad’s Facebook account. Law enforcement discovered a variety of photographs showing him holding, posing with and displaying a Springfield, Model XD, .45 caliber, semiautomatic pistol. The pictures were taken from inside Farrad’s bathroom and were uploaded in quick succession in October 2013.
The U.S. attorney’s office said testimony at Farrad’s trial described distinguishing characteristics of the firearm seen in the seized Facebook photos. Those features both confirmed the identity of the firearm, and dispelled any possibility of it being a toy, fake, replica, or imitation. In a two-day jury trial, Farrad was found guilty.