Omaha Man Sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal

Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Lionell Bland, 43, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher for possession of a firearm by an armed career criminal. He received a sentence of 180 months’ imprisonment with a five-year term of supervised release to follow. The term of incarceration will run consecutive to a sentence he is currently serving as a result of violating state parole. There is no parole in the federal system. An armed career criminal is a felon in possession of a firearm after three prior convictions involving crimes of violence or drug trafficking.

On August 20, 2019, Omaha Police officers received a call to Dailey’s Liquor Store located in northeast Omaha, regarding an armed party. Bland was outside in the parking lot and attempting to hide a loaded FN Hi Power 9mm handgun. Officers found the firearm on top of a t-shirt underneath the vehicle next to where Bland had been standing. Bland ultimately admitted to handling the firearm. At the time of the offense, Bland was on parole. He had four prior convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and prior convictions for use of a weapon and terroristic threats.

This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department. This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.