GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On April 4, 2022, Lynn Richard Norton, 62, currently of Russellville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 240 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
A federal jury convicted Norton of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in March 2021. In determining the sentence, Judge Greer found Norton to be an Armed Career Criminal pursuant to the Armed Career Criminal Act, based on his criminal history.
According to evidence presented at trial, in 2019, Norton conspired to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with James Ward. Ward testified for the United States that he supplied Norton with two to four ounces of methamphetamine per week, and on two occasions, Norton sold Ward methamphetamine. On April 8, 2019, Norton sold methamphetamine and a Bryco Arms 9 mm pistol to a confidential informant who was working with the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office.
The conviction and sentence resulted from an investigation by the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Swecker and Mac Heavener represented the United States.
The Appalachia HIDTA mission is to enhance and coordinate drug enforcement efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies within areas designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas by pursuing the disruption/dismantlement of Drug Trafficking Organizations, particularly as it relates to the specific drug threat of the Appalachian region.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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