Pascagoula Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Gulfport, Miss. – Walter Edward Bohl, 64, of Pascagoula, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Halil S. Ozerden, to knowingly possessing a firearm after having been committed to a mental institution, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On May 20, 2020, when agents executed a federal search warrant at Bohl’s residence in Pascagoula, Bohl was found to be in possession of a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P 15, 5.56 caliber Rifle.  Bohl was prohibited by law from possession a firearm as he had been previously committed to a mental institution. 

Walter Edward Bohl was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 23, 2020.  He will be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on November 30, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., in Gulfport.  He 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. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.