Omaha Man Sentenced as Felon in Possession of a Firearm

United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Jermaine L. Lewis, 24, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for being a prohibited person (felon) in possession of a firearm.  Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Lewis to 43 months imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After his federal sentence is complete, Lewis will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

On May 7, 2021, officers observed several parties congregating at an abandoned Omaha residence, including Lewis.  While there, Lewis reached into the passenger side of a car and appeared to wrap an unknown item inside the car. Lewis then appeared to bend down outside the vehicle near the front porch. Later that evening, shot spotter alerted law enforcement to 35 shots fired near a residence within 400 feet of the abandoned residence.  Digital surveillance showed that Lewis’ car was at the residence during this time.

Officers discovered a rifle and box of ammunition concealed in a blanket under the front porch of the abandoned residence.  On May 8, 2021, officers saw Lewis’ car arrive at the abandoned residence and observed him walking up to the house and bending down to look for the rifle.

On July 12, 2021, officers submitted swabs taken from the rifle to the University of Nebraska Medical Center DNA lab, which compared it to a buccal swab taken from Lewis.  The DNA results concluded that Lewis could not be excluded as a contributor, and that it was eleven thousand times more likely to be his DNA than that of another unrelated individual.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.