FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A lieutenant colonel at Fort Campbell is facing federal weapons charges after an investigation found he unlawfully imported firearms parts from Russia, China and other countries, according to federal authorities.
Lt. Col. Frank Ross Talbert, 40, with U.S. Army Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) assigned to Fort Campbell, is facing federal criminal charges after law enforcement officers conducted an investigation and executed multiple search warrants, according to a news release Thursday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville.
Agents uncovered evidence that in addition to the illegal imports, Talbert unlawfully dealt in firearms without a federal license and committed multiple firearms violations related to the possession of machine guns, announced Henry C. Leventis, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Talbert was arrested Thursday on a 21-count federal indictment charging him with eight counts of importing defense articles without a license, eight counts of smuggling firearms parts into the United States, one count of firearms trafficking, two counts of possession of unregistered machine guns, one count of transporting a machine gun without a license and one count of dealing in firearms without a license.
If convicted, Talbert faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000,000, the release said.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bowling Green Field Office; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Homeland Security Investigations; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency; and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Farzad is prosecuting the case.