GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Bristol man was sentenced to more than three years in prison on gun and impersonation charges.

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Bobby Rowe Maggard Jr., 47 of Bristol, to 46 months in prison.

In January, Maggard pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and impersonating a deputy U.S. marshal.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Maggard became employed as a registered agent for an East Tennessee bonding company in 2021. In July of that year, authorities were informed that an individual was representing himself as a deputy U.S. marshal, with one incident reported in Sullivan County.

Investigators identified Maggard as the suspect.

When questioned, Maggard, who was convicted of felony grand larceny in Tazewell County, Virginia in 2000, admitted to using a fake U.S. marshal’s badge and patch and unlawfully possessing a gun as a felon, according to the DOJ.

Maggard used the fake badge and patch, which he had purchased online, to pose as a marshal when he was securing information from people, the DOJ said.

“He stated that he impersonated a deputy U.S. marshal to people in order to ‘scare them into telling the truth,'” the DOJ said in a release. “He also admitted to falsely using the identity of a
deputy U.S. marshal to obtain repair services for an Apple watch.”

At the time of his questioning, Maggard was on supervised probation in Sullivan County for failure to appear, the DOJ said.

Authorities searched his home and reportedly found eight firearms, including three Glock pistols, four “AR-style” rifles in various calibers, and a 12-gauge tactical shotgun.

“The impersonation of a deputy U.S. marshal, while armed and after having been convicted of a felony offense, placed the public in danger,” U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said in a release. “Our office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who engage in this conduct.”

The case was investigated by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.