Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Timothy Ortiz, a/k/a “Tyson,” 25, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., to 92 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Ortiz pleaded guilty on January 4, 2019.

According to court documents, on September 26, 2016, Ortiz was involved in an argument over a drug debt that led to his fatal shooting of Jonathan Methot using a Ruger, Blackhawk, .357 revolver at a duplex apartment building in Biddeford.  Ortiz was prohibited from possessing the firearm as the result of 2016 Maine felony convictions for aggravated sex trafficking and heroin distribution.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock varied upward from the applicable guideline range of 37-46 months, noting that the defendant’s criminal history was “disturbing” and the need to protect the public was “obvious.”

This case was investigated by the Biddeford Police Department; the Maine State Police; the Maine Attorney General’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the FBI; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It was prosecuted as 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 work 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. 

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Timothy Ortiz, a/k/a “Tyson,” 25, of New York, was charged by criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with possession of a firearm by a felon. 

According to court documents, on September 26, 2016, Ortiz was involved in an argument which led to his fatal shooting of Jonathan Methot using a silver Ruger, new model Blackhawk, .357 revolver at a duplex apartment building in Biddeford.  Ortiz was prohibited from possessing the firearm as the result of 2016 Maine felony convictions for aggravated sex trafficking and heroin distribution.

Ortiz faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge.  His initial appearance is scheduled for 2:30 today in U.S. District Court.

This case was investigated by the Biddeford Police Department; the Maine State Police; the Maine Attorney General’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the FBI; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted as 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.