Repeat Offender found Guilty of Illegally Possessing Firearm

            A known Seattle gang member who was sentenced in 2009 for drug dealing and possessing a stolen firearm, was found guilty late yesterday for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  JIMMY GENE MILLER, 29, was arrested on June 13, 2013 after Seattle Police responded to reports of a beating behind a nightclub in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.  MILLER was convicted following a three day jury trial.  Jurors deliberated about five hours before returning the guilty verdict.  Sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2014 before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones.

            According to records in the case and testimony at trial, MILLER encountered a rival gang member at ‘The Garage,’ a bar/pool hall/bowling alley on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  MILLER flashed a firearm in the waistband of his pants as he took the victim out the alley door of the nightclub.  In the alley MILLER assaulted the victim.  Portions of the assault were captured on surveillance video.  The victim was found stripped naked and beaten.  The surveillance cameras photographed MILLER jumping into the passenger seat of a distinctive black Camaro.  Seattle Police moved quickly after getting reports on the assault, locating the car a few miles from the club.  MILLER and his associates were found nearby.  The victim’s wallet was found in the front passenger seat.  A court authorized search of the car revealed a .40 caliber Glock pistol in the glove compartment in front of where MILLER had been sitting.  Text messages introduced at trial reveal MILLER discussing an extended magazine for the semi-automatic weapon with an associate in the weeks before the assault.

            MILLER faces up to ten years in prison on this conviction and an additional two years in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release on the prior conviction.  MILLER was out of prison for about six months before reoffending.

            MILLER was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.  Unveiled in May 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), is a comprehensive and strategic approach to gun law enforcement.  PSN is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America by networking both new and existing local programs that target gun crime and then providing them with the resources and tools they need to succeed. Implementation at the local level -- in this case, in King County-- has fostered close partnerships between federal, state and local prosecutors and law enforcement.

            The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and FBI.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vince Lombardi and Jerrod Patterson.