Washington Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Anchorage, Alaska – Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a man from Washington state was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Jesse Robert Smith, 35, from Sedro-Wooley, Washington, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

On July 13, 2016, Wasilla Police contacted Smith while he was passed out in the driver's seat of a running vehicle at the Wasilla Fred Meyer parking lot. During the contact, Smith was in possession of a Taurus .32 caliber pistol, 330 grams of heroin, and $20,990 in U.S. currency. At the time, Smith had previously been convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and was prohibited from possession of firearms or ammunition.

Before imposing a sentence, Judge Burgess commented that Smith had an "ugly" criminal history. Smith has a lengthy criminal history that includes five prior felony convictions, two for drug distribution, two for drug possession, and one for possession of stolen property.

Acting U.S. Attorney Schroder commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Wasilla Police Department, and the Alaska State Troopers for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case.