Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Illegally Possessing Multiple Firearms

Hattiesburg, Miss. – Marcus Foster, 29, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty today before Senior 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 Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On February 11, 2019, Foster was found in possession of two firearms during the search of an apartment in Forrest County.  He has prior felony convictions out in Forrest County for burglary of a dwelling and receipt of stolen property.  On July 24, 2019, he was charged in a federal criminal indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Foster will be sentenced by Judge Starrett on February 5, 2020 at 10:30 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. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.