Memphis Man Sentenced To Over 15 Years For Firearms Offense

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On May 15, 2025, Mario Delaine, 39, of Memphis, was sentenced to 188 months in prison by the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Following imprisonment, Delaine will be on supervised release for five years.

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Delaine agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm as a felon, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1).  Because Delaine had three previous convictions for violent felonies committed on occasions different from one another, he was subject to enhanced penalties under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which requires a mandatory minimum 15 years imprisonment.

According to filed court documents, in November 2022, Chattanooga Police Department Officers responded to reports of gunfire coming from a third-floor room of the Motel 6 on Williams Street.  Upon arrival, officers heard and observed gunshots being actively fired out of a third-floor window.  Officers entered the hotel, located the room, and ordered the occupant(s) to exit.  As officers took cover, an additional gunshot was fired through the door into the hallway.  Officers maintained their position and Delaine eventually exited the room and surrendered.  Officers located a Glock 9-millimeter pistol, multiple spent 9-millimeter cartridge cases, and bullet holes in the exterior window and interior door.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Chattanooga Field Office and the Chattanooga Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin T. Brown and Luke McLaurin represented the United States.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline

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