Jackson Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Jackson, Miss. – Terrence Omar Gates, 32, of Jackson, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr. to 78 months in prison, to run consecutive to his previously imposed 24 month revocation sentence, followed by three years supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On June 7, 2017, detectives with the Jackson Police Department stopped Terrence Omar Gates for traffic violations at the corner of Mill Street and Mitchell Street. While running Gates’ driver’s license, one of the detectives observed Gates reaching under the front passenger seat. He was ordered to stop reaching and was removed from the vehicle. Detectives searched the vehicle and recovered a stolen Taurus pistol, a glass mason jar containing approximately 30 grams of marijuana, and a black digital weighing scale. Approximately $6,937.00 wrapped in a rubber band was recovered from Gates’ front left pocket.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha D. Middleton.

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 in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program 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.