Sumrall Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm and Unregistered Silencer

Hattiesburg, Miss. – Asa Jefferson Sanford, Jr., 60, of Sumrall, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms, and one count of possessing a firearm which was not registered to Sanford in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF").

On July 20, 2015, Sanford, a previously convicted felon, came in contact with law enforcement officers which resulted in the obtaining and execution of state search warrants on Sanford’s vehicle and home. State and federal agents seized numerous firearms and ammunition in Sanford’s possession, as well as a silencer that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Sanford will be sentenced by Judge Starrett on October 16, 2018 at 9:45 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.