North Carolina Man Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years In Federal Prison For Illegal Firearm Possession

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a North Carolina man was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for illegal firearm possession.  Jason Alexander Thompson, 28, of Charlotte, N.C., previously pleaded guilty in October 2012 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On December 23, 2010, members of the Huntington Police Department were dispatched to the 1200 block of 28th Street in Huntington for a call reporting a prowler.  When officers arrived at the scene, they observed the defendant in the area.  Thompson admitted that at the time, he removed a .25 caliber pistol from his jacket pocket and threw it to the ground as officers approached. 

Thompson was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his August 2003 felony conviction in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. 

The Court noted that the defendant was on supervised release at time of the offense and therefore sentenced the defendant to an additional 10 months’ imprisonment for total of 47 months in prison.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime. 

The Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution.  The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.