Man Who Claimed He Gave Guns to Children Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
An Amarillo man who said he gave guns to children has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for a firearm crime, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.
Roaryrious “Buddy” Perkins, 31, was convicted in June of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk.
According to court documents, in September 2018, law enforcement officers found a Smith & Wesson .45 caliber handgun in the wall of a hotel room occupied by Mr. Perkins and two associates. A National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) examination of the gun revealed that it had been used in four different drive-by shootings in Amarillo. A lab test of the weapon indicated a 1 in 1.2 trillion chance that one of the four DNA profiles found on the gun belonged to Mr. Perkins.
Four months later, in January 2019, law enforcement arrested Mr. Perkins at the scene of a trespass in progress. Inside the home, they found a Springfield 9mm pistol. During a subsequent interview with police, Mr. Perkins admitted that he’d purchased the Springfield pistol, claiming he’d had a “white dude” buy the gun for him in order to give it to his girlfriend for protection.
Mr. Perkins – who was previously convicted of robbery and possession of a controlled substance – admitted that he handled the pistol in spite of federal laws that prohibit convicted felons to possess firearms.
At his sentencing hearing, prosecutors read from a statement Mr. Perkins made to law enforcement in September 2018, in which he claimed he provided firearms and money to “young kids” to commit shootings on his behalf. He even admitted he offered the children money to shoot at a particular individual.
“They got no momma, no house, no money. You give them a $1,000 and a gun – what do you think they are going to do?” Mr. Perkins told law enforcement.
It is unclear what, if anything, the minors did with the weapons Mr. Perkins said he provided to them.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Dallas Field Office, the United States Marshal Service, and the Amarillo Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Marie Bell prosecuted the case.
