Jackson Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

Jackson, Miss. -  A Jackson man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of multiple felony offenses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

According to court documents, on January 21, 2019, Jackson Police officers responded to a call concerning a suspected house burglary in the city of Jackson.  When officers arrived, Albert Thompson, 24, of Jackson, was found at the scene along with two other individuals. All three individuals ran from the officers. Thompson was taken into custody and had a 9mm pistol in his hand.  The arresting officer reported that Thompson raised the pistol toward her. 

Thompson had four prior felony convictions for burglary of a dwelling in Rankin and Madison counties, and a felony conviction for motor vehicle theft in Rankin County.  As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Thompson to possess any firearm. 

Thompson was indicted and pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Due to the number and nature of Thompson’s prior felony convictions, he faced an enhanced penalty at sentencing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.