Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Firearm under Project EJECT

Jackson, Miss. – Jimmy Lee Thompson, 27, of Jackson, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan 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.

Thompson was previously convicted of felonious house burglary in Hinds County and was sentenced to serve ten years in the custody of Mississippi Department of Corrections with three of those years suspended. On June 30, 2018, Thompson was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Jackson, Mississippi.

Thompson will be sentenced by Chief Judge Jordan on March 13, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

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.