Richmond recidivist pleads guilty to illegally possessing a firearm

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Jan. 16, law enforcement received a 911 call reporting that three individuals attempted to enter an occupied vehicle near Grove and Morris Streets in Richmond and then approached every vehicle parked on the street and pulled on the door handles.

The 911 caller followed the men until police officers arrived and detained them. When one of the men, Sherod Antoine Jenkins Jr., 23, put his hands up, an officer immediately observed a handgun in Jenkins’ jacket pocket, and the officer removed it from Jenkins’ possession. The firearm was loaded with a round in the chamber and had been reported stolen.

Jenkins was previously convicted for, among other crimes, burglary, receipt of stolen property, firearm larceny, grand larceny auto theft, felony eluding, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As a previously convicted felon, Jenkins cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.

Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after Magistrate Judge Summer L. Speight accepted the plea. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Police investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea is prosecuting the case.

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).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-24.