Date: 02-09-2016

Case Style: United States of America v. Robie Lynn Sims

Case Number: 4:15-cr-00151-O

Judge: Reed C. O’Connor

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Tarrant County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Shawn Smith

Defendant's Attorney: Lance Evans

Description: Fort Worth, TX - Fort Worth Woman Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Harboring a Fugitive

A Fort Worth, Texas, woman, Robie Lynn Sims, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 18 months in federal prison for harboring a fugitive, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Sims pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of concealing a person from arrest. Yesterday, Judge O’Connor ordered her to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by March 18, 2016.

According to the factual resume filed in her case, Sims was the girlfriend of one of the defendants, Billy Bullitt, 45, also of Fort Worth, who, along with 28 co-defendants, was charged in a massive methamphetamine distribution conspiracy recently prosecuted in the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District of Texas. In fact, Bullitt, was sentenced in December 2015 to 121 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

Bullitt had been living at Sims’ residence when, in June 2015, agents/officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Squad interviewed her at her residence. She was advised that Bullitt had an outstanding federal arrest warrant for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. When asked if she knew where Bullitt was currently living, Sims responded that she had last seen him two weeks ago at their residence. In fact, however, Bullitt had been living at that residence and had fled the residence as agents/officers had approached the residence. Sims lied about Bullitt’s whereabouts and stalled the agents/officers so Bullitt would have time to flee the residence. Bullitt was arrested by agents/officers with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Squad at a motel on Bryant Irvin Blvd. in Fort Worth on July 2, 2015. Sims was with him and had arranged for another person to rent the room for her and Bullitt to avoid alerting authorities of Bullitt’s location.

A total of 29 defendants were charged in the case; 28 have been convicted, and most of those have been sentenced.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated the case.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: