Gulfport Man Pleads Guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Gulfport, Miss – Keith Bernard Gardner, 24, of Gulfport, entered a guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Gardner faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the firearm charge. He further faces fines of up to $250,000 along with three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on December 6, 2018, at 9:00 a.m.

Gardner was convicted in Harrison County Circuit Court in 2014 of transfer of a controlled substance. On November 26, 2016, Gulfport Police responded to an apartment parking lot for shots fired. They found Gardner and others in a car with the obvious smell of marijuana. On searching the car, police found cocaine, marijuana, digital scales and two hand guns. Gardner admitted a Ruger pistol with an obliterated serial number was his.

The Gulfport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.