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

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

According to court documents, William Eric Chapman, 41, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Meridian Police Department on January 30, 2020, during an investigation into an alleged assault.  Chapman had a .556 caliber rifle and a sawed-off shotgun in his motel room.  Chapman has four prior felony convictions.  As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Chapman to possess any firearm.

Chapman 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 September 1, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Meridian Police Department and the ATF are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is 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.