Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Illegally Possessing Firearm

Hattiesburg, Miss. – Mitchell Dewayne May, Jr., 28, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kirk Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On October 2, 2018, May was found in possession of a firearm when Hattiesburg Police officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle he was driving. May was previously convicted of armed robbery in Forrest County in 2006.

May will be sentenced by Judge Starrett on November 5, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.