Jackson Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Jackson, Miss – Rodrecas Tims, 33, of Jackson, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Dana Nichols, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

On November 1, 2018, Jackson Police officers approached Tims as he was walking away from his car in a Jackson parking lot after the officers smelled, and observed in plain view, marijuana rolled into a “cigar” in an ashtray.  Tims was found to have two pistols concealed in the waistband of his pants.  One of the pistols was stolen.

Tims was previously convicted of armed robbery in 2000 and again in 2005, and unlawfully possessing a firearm in 2005.  On November 27, 2018 he was charged in a federal indictment with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  

Tims will be sentenced on May 15, 2019, by Judge Wingate, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.

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.