Convicted Felon Admits to Shooting Drug Customer Twice Over Unpaid Drug Debt

 BEAUMONT, Texas – A 34-year-old Beaumont, Texas man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox today.

              Rustin Chase McKinsey, also known as “Dollar Bill,” pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  McKinsey entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on Jan. 6, 2021.

              According to information presented in court, on Sep. 4, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a residence on Taylor Street in Beaumont, Texas in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival at the residence, officers discovered the victim laying on the front porch with a towel wrapped around a gunshot wound to his leg.  The victim’s roommate told officers he was awoken by an argument between the victim and McKinsey, and he observed McKinsey fire two shots at the victim before fleeing the scene.  The victim stated he owed money to McKinsey for methamphetamine that McKinsey sold him. 

              On Oct. 9, 2020, law enforcement officers responded again to the same residence on Taylor Street in Beaumont, Texas in reference to another shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered the same victim suffering from a gunshot wound to his back. A single spent .22 caliber shell casing was discovered at the scene. The victim stated that McKinsey shot him again over the same drug debt that was owed. 

              McKinsey was arrested and admitted to officers that he had shot the victim on both occasions over a drug debt.  McKinsey is a convicted felon having previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance in Jefferson County, Texas, on Dec. 18, 2017.  As a convicted felon, McKinsey is prohibited by federal law of owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition. 

              Under federal statutes, McKinsey faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

              This case is being investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Quinn.