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

Jackson, Miss – John Robert Beck, 55, of Madison, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Daniel P. Jordan to possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony crime, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On September 25, 2018, Beck was stopped for a traffic violation by a Hinds County Sheriff’s deputy on McDowell Road in Jackson.  Once stopped, Beck was asked to step outside of his car to speak with the deputy.  For his safety, the deputy asked Beck if he had any weapons.  Beck responded that he had a handgun on him and a .40 caliber handgun was removed from beneath Beck’s clothes.  During their ensuing conversation, the deputy learned that Beck was a convicted felon, that he had been previously convicted in the Circuit Court of Madison County of possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

On February 20, 2019, Beck was charged in a federal indictment with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. 

Beck will be sentenced by Judge Jordan on April 3, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., and faces a maximum penalty of 10 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.