Felon Recently Released from Federal Prison Prosecuted Under “Worst of the Worst" Anti-Violence Initiative
ALBUQUERQUE - Nathan Jensen, 33, of Albuquerque, N.M., made his initial appearance today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Court records indicate that Jensen allegedly committed the offense while on supervised release from a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jensen remains in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing, both of which are scheduled for Friday.
Court records reflect that the court issued a warrant for Jensen’s arrest on May 4, 2016, based on a petition filed by the U.S. Probation Office to revoke his supervised release. The petition alleges that Jensen had been released from the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prison on April 25, 2016, after completing an 84-month prison sentence, with directions to report to his probation officer and a half-way house at which he was to reside for up to six-months. Jensen allegedly failed to report either to his probation officer or to the halfway house. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (USMS-SWIFT) arrested Jensen on the warrant on May 16, 2016, and Jensen made his initial appearance in federal court on the supervised release petition yesterday.
Yesterday the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrested Jensen on a criminal complaint charging Jensen with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition in Bernalillo County, N.M., on May 16, 2016, when he was arrested by the USMS-SWIFT. According to the criminal complaint, Jensen was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of several felony offenses in the state courts of New Mexico in addition to his federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted of the crime charged in the criminal complaint, Jensen faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. If the court determines that Jensen is an armed career criminal, he faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF and the USMS-SWIFT. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Wishard is prosecuting the case under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst" offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
