Meridian Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi

Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man was sentenced to 84 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents and admissions in open court, Jacquis LaShawn Houston, 27, was found in possession of a firearm by a Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office deputy on March 16, 2020, during a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Houston was riding as a passenger.  Houston threw a 9mm caliber pistol from the vehicle.  As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Houston to possess any firearm.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.

The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.