Jackson Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon

Jackson, Miss – Braxton Dontrel Burns, 33, of Jackson, pled guilty Friday before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On May 5, 2018, a Jackson Police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding.  Before the vehicle stopped, the driver tossed a handgun from the vehicle.  The driver was identified as Braxton Burns. The officer determined that Burns had a prior conviction for auto burglary in Madison County, Mississippi.  On February 20, 2019, Burns was charged in a federal indictment with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.        

Burns will be sentenced on December 12, 2019, by Judge Jordan, 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 and 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.