Convicted Felon in Philadelphia Found Guilty at Trial of Illegally Possessing Loaded Firearm

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Nafis Mullins, 27, of Philadelphia, was convicted today by a federal jury of one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On May 1, 2018, at approximately 11:40 pm, Philadelphia police officers were patrolling the area of 24^th and Oxford Streets in Philadelphia when they encountered a group of men on Oxford Street. When the officers stopped to ask the group what they were doing, all of the men turned to acknowledge the officers, except for the defendant. Instead, the defendant kept his back to the officers with his hands in the front pouch pocket of his bright orange sweatshirt. An officer asked the defendant to turn around and take his hands out of his sweatshirt, and the defendant failed to comply and fled from the police. As he ran, the defendant threw a dark object (later determined to be a firearm) up and to the left with his left hand before jumping over a small cinderblock wall in an attempt to conceal himself. After the defendant was stopped, law enforcement recovered the loaded firearm. The defendant has several prior felony convictions which prohibit him from possessing a firearm.

“Reducing violent crime and keeping illegal guns off our streets are top priorities for the Department of Justice and my Office,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The defendant, who was a convicted felon multiples times over, knew that he could not legally possess a gun, but decided the law did not apply to him. Thank you to our law enforcement partners for enforcing the law and helping keep our community safe from violence.”

“The investigation, arrest, and successful prosecution of Nafis Mullins serves as evidence of the effectiveness of strong and consistent collaboration between law enforcement agencies,” said Richard J. Ross Jr., Philadelphia Police Commissioner. “With the conviction and impending sentencing, Mullins, who is a recidivist offender, will no longer be able to re-offend in our neighborhoods. This, along with the continuing efforts of the Project Safe Neighborhoods partner agencies, will have an appreciable impact on the quality of life of the residents of our great city.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program by the Department of Justice that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, to address this crime trend, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Driscoll.