Memphis Fugitive Sentenced to over Seven Years for Illegal Possession of Seven Firearms

OXFORD, Miss. – Keon J. Carwell, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison, 3 years supervised release, for possessing seven firearms as a prior convicted felon after he was located in Hernando, Mississippi.

At the time of his arrest, the 39-year-old Carwell was wanted as a fugitive for eight years stemming from a federal gun charge in the Western District of Tennessee from 2016. On March 31, 2024, officers with the Hernando Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Carwell was riding in. Further investigation confirmed Carwell’s identity and active warrant. Officers found Carwell in possession of seven firearms, including a pistol identified as stolen in a burglary of a federal firearms licensee store, a rifle with an obliterated serial number and a sawed-off shotgun. Six of the guns were loaded. Carwell pled guilty to the charge on a prior date.

Senior U.S. District Court Michael P. Mills sentenced Carwell to 87 months imprisonment followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary stated, “The Declaration of Independence stands as one of the greatest man-made documents ever written. It is the very foundation of our country. The Declaration states that we get our rights not from government, but from God. That our government was instituted to secure these God-given rights, and that our government derives its rights from the people of this great country. I hope the people of the Northern District of Mississippi are proud of their law enforcement officers, especially the people of Hernando, Mississippi. The Hernando Police Department conducted an investigation and apprehended a man that had been a fugitive for eight years. When arrested, the defendant was in possession of seven firearms, some of which were stolen and extremely dangerous. A community is safer today as a result of their hard work. A hardy thanks also to the ATF, day in and day out your trustworthiness in bringing these cases to fruition is commendable.”

“In our effort to disrupt violent gun crime in our community, ATF will continue to focus efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess firearms,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message that ATF will continue to work alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure these offenders are removed from our communities and held fully accountable so we can keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Hernando Police Department, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.