Defendant Arrested While on State Parole, Wearing Ankle Monitor; Illegally Possessed AR-15 Rifle with 60-Round, High Capacity Magazine
Jackson, Miss. - Montavious Johnson, 25, of Ridgeland, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Johnson was arrested on Sept. 11, 2018, as part of a joint operation by the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland Police Department, DEA and ATF. After arresting Johnson for the sale of narcotics, officers executed a search warrant at the apartment in Jackson where Johnson was staying. Numerous firearms were recovered, including two AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and four pistols. Johnson also had a sixty-round high capacity magazine loaded in one of the AR-15’s.
Johnson had previously been convicted of state felony offenses in Madison County, Mississippi and Hinds County, Mississippi. At the time of his arrest, Johnson was on parole from prior state convictions and was wearing an ankle monitor. Upon his arrest on federal charges, Johnson was ordered detained without bond pending the outcome of his case.
Johnson will be sentenced by Judge Wingate on July 25, 2019. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, the Richland Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.
This 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 through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is 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
