DETROIT – A man with previous convictions is facing a new charge in Oakland County after he posted a picture with a gun on an alternate Facebook account while wearing the same tank top as the one in his actual profile picture, authorities said.
Officials started investigating Christopher Lee Bey, 48, of Detroit, in July 2023 after receiving information that linked him to gun crimes in Pontiac and Detroit, according to a criminal complaint.
ATF agents said they suspected Bey had a gun at his address on Marx Street in Detroit. Bey is not allowed to own guns because of previous guilty pleas -- two felony carrying a concealed weapon charges in 1993 and 1994, as well as drug and weapons charges in 1999.
In total, Bey spent about 19 years and nine months in prison from May 10, 1999, to Feb. 16, 2019, due to those convictions, according to the complaint.
Social media pages
Authorities said Bey controlled a Facebook account under the name “Richard Terrance Black.” On July 21, 2023, a post on that page showed Bey holding a gun, according to officials.
The image below compares two screenshots from the video to a stock image of a Ruger Security 9 handgun.
A witness told authorities that the mask seen in the video was given to Bey as a gift. That person also said the video was recorded in a bathroom at Bey’s home.
Other images on the “Richard Terrance Black” account showed Bey in the same bathroom with the same gun and mask, according to the criminal complaint.
When an ATF agent checked Bey’s personal Facebook page, which was publicly available, the profile picture showed him wearing a white tank top with a black line on it. That tank top was the same one worn by the masked man in some of the “Richard Terrance Black” posts, according to authorities.
NOTE: The criminal complaint says Bey was taking a selfie-style video for the “Richard Terrance Black” posts, so the black line on the tank top was reversed to the other side.
Gun charge
The 9 mm Ruger Security 9 handgun wasn’t released to the public until around December 2017, when Bey was still in prison, according to the criminal complaint. Officials said that means he was in possession of the firearm after knowing he wasn’t allowed to do so because of his previous convictions.
The criminal complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Bey possessed a firearm as a convicted felon.
Oakland County police records show Bey was booked into the jail at 9:21 p.m. July 26.