A Jackson man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to court documents, Andre Rene Williams, 53, pawned a stolen firearm on December 16, 2017. Williams has twelve prior felony convictions for both violent and non-violent offenses. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Williams to possess any firearm.

Williams pled guilty on June 28, 2021, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The case was investigated by the ATF, Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Copiah County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and Yazoo County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting 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.