Lincoln Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Possessing a Firearm

Acting United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that BJ Jaquez Rice, 30, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 18, 2023, to 87 months’ imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. After Rice is release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Rice pleaded guilty to the offense on February 15, 2023.

On March 11, 2022, an officer with the Lincoln Police Department stopped a vehicle in downtown Lincoln. A female was driving the vehicle and Rice was in the front passenger seat.  During the stop, the officer noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle and performed a search of the vehicle.  During the search, the officer located a Smith & Wesson, model M&P M2 Shield, .380 caliber handgun tucked between the driver’s seat and the center console.  The officer also located a Glock, model 19, 9mm caliber handgun underneath the front passenger seat.  When asked for identification, Rice gave the officer a false name, date of birth, and stated that he had an identification issued to him in Florida. After Rice was arrested, police discovered his true name and that he had prior felony convictions in North Carolina.

In addition to the Lincoln Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, contributed to this investigation. 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.