Department of Justice

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Walter Tyndal, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Tyndal was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. The court ordered this federal sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence for the revocation of his parole in an unrelated state case.

On Dec. 14, 2023, Tyndal pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Tyndal was arrested on an active warrant for a parole violation on Nov. 23, 2021. At the time of his arrest, Tyndal had a Bearman 9mm Derringer pistol in the back left pocket of his pants and a bag of marijuana in his front pocket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Tyndal has three prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, three prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for stealing, two prior felony convictions for burglary, and a prior felony conviction for possessing marijuana in a correctional facility.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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