Jasper County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Unregistered Machine Gun

Hattiesburg, Miss. – James Christopher Varner, 39, of Stringer, Mississippi, entered a guilty plea today before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to illegally possessing a machine gun that was not registered, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Varner, 39 of Stringer, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the charge. He further faces a fine of $10,000 along with 3 years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for January 3, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

On January 22, 2018, deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic violence call at a home in Stringer, Mississippi. Once there, they found a female who had been injured, along with several firearms. When Deputies tracked down Varner, they found additional firearms, along with controlled substances, a KKK robe, hood and literature. With the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a total of 46 firearms were seized, including 4 machine guns, 2 sawed-off rifles, multiple silencers, multi-round magazines, machine gun conversion kits, and other weapons.

Hurst commended the incredible work of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.