Jackson, Miss - Gino Washington, 26, of Pearl, Mississippi, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He was also required to forfeit the firearm and pay a $1,000 fine.
On December 6, 2017, the Jackson Police Department made a traffic stop of a vehicle wherein Washington was a passenger. Washington initially gave the officer a false name when a firearm was taken from his waistband during the traffic stop in Jackson. The arresting officer determined he had been given a false name and Washington then admitted to his real identity when confronted about his deception. Washington has a prior felony conviction for house burglary.
This case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
