Recently Released Felon Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Jackson, Miss. – Christopher Campbell, 30, of Jackson, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana K. Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On September 28, 2018, Campbell was found in possession of a firearm after he was stopped by officers for driving under the influence. Campbell was previously convicted of house burglary on April 17, 2014, in Hinds County and was sentenced to serve 25 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with eight of those years suspended. Campbell was released from MDOC less than one year before being arrested for the current charge.

Campbell will be sentenced by Judge Reeves on May 15, 2019, at 9:30 a.m., where he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is part of Project EJECT, a nationally-recognized 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 a program 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.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.