Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm

Memphis, TN - Charles Eason, 44, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Memphis police officers pulled over the car Eason was driving in January 2017. Eason had a loaded shotgun in his possession. Eason had numerous prior felony convictions at the time, including five Tennessee convictions for promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Eason pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The default sentencing range for a § 922(g) violation is zero to 10 years in prison. However, under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), a defendant convicted of § 922(g) who has three prior convictions for serious drug offenses is subject to an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence of 180 months.

In a prior appeal in this case, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Eason’s five prior convictions for promotion of the manufacture of methamphetamine were serious drug offenses under the ACCA. Upon resentencing on remand on January 10, 2020, U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Eason to 180 months (15 years) under the ACCA.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Serious drug offenses are NOT non-violent crimes, and convicted felons who possess firearms are an inherent danger to the community. In this case, Eason was a career drug offender who possessed a loaded firearm despite his multiple prior convictions for serious drug offenses involving the manufacture of methamphetamine. There is and ought to be a significant consequence for such recidivist criminal behavior, and this mandatory sentence is just punishment for a recalcitrant armed drug offender."

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Memphis Police Department.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryce Phillips and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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