Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian, Mississippi man pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to court documents, Delontay Preston Scott, 30, was found in possession of a firearm by a Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Deputy on December 30, 2021, during a traffic stop. Scott possessed a .22 caliber pistol. Scott has prior felony convictions for armed robbery and burglary of a dwelling and was under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections at the time. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Scott to possess any firearm.

Scott pleaded guilty to a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2) which criminalize the possession of firearms by convicted felons. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam T. Stuart and Charles W. Kirkham are prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.