Natchez, Miss. - Javonte Lamar Butler, 20, of Natchez, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette, III to stealing a firearm from a business that is licensed to sell firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kirk Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On Dec. 14, 2018, Javonte Lamar Butler visited Peddlers Antique Pawn and Salvage, a federally licensed reseller of firearms, located in Natchez, Mississippi. While a store employee assisted two other persons, Butler reached into a glass display case, removed a pistol, and left the store without lawfully purchasing it. Butler was subsequently indicted on June 14, 2019, for stealing a firearm from a business licensed to sell firearms.
Butler will be sentenced by Judge Bramlette on Nov. 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Natchez. He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.
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
