Convicted Felon Sentenced for Firearm Possession Part of Homeland Security Task Force Investigation

GREENVILLE, MS – The Homeland Security Task Force initiative led to the investigation, prosecution and sentencing of Walter Walton, 34, of Coahoma County, Mississippi. Honorable Debra M. Brown, Chief United States District Court Judge, sentenced Walton today to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, the defendant knowingly possessed a firearm after he had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Defendant Walton pleaded guilty to these charges on an earlier date. A Taurus .357 caliber revolver was forfeited through a stipulated final order of forfeiture.   

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. 

This operation and conviction are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating tin the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.  HSTF Jackson comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ICE ERO, CBP, CBP OFO, CBP USBP, CBP AMO, CGIS, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS and with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.