Memphis, TN - After a three-day federal jury trial, Herbert Graham, 32, was found guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in a school zone. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the guilty verdict today.
According to information presented in court, on Jan. 30, 2018, Memphis Police Officers responded to a burglary/aggravated assault call at a residence. The residents of the home advised they observed a family friend, Herbert Graham, steal a laptop from their back bedroom and escape through the window. They drove around the neighborhood and found Graham walking toward Raleigh Lagrange. They demanded he return the laptop and Graham pulled a gun and threatened to kill them "if they did not back off." The victims left and called police.
As officers drove toward the scene, they saw Graham walking on Chiswood Street with the laptop in his hands. Graham saw the officers, dropped the laptop and fled from law enforcement onto the school property of Memphis Rise Academy. Officers gave chase and observed Graham toss a magazine and a gun on the ground. The school was placed on lock down for the safety of the students. Minutes later, Graham was apprehended on the school campus.
The firearm and magazine were recovered on the property. The magazine was loaded with 15 live rounds and the gun held one live round in the chamber. The gun, a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, had also been reported stolen in 2016, in Shelby County. A criminal history check on Graham revealed he had been convicted of being a felon in possession of a handgun on May 29, 2015, in Shelby County Criminal Court.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Under our PSN initiative, we focus on removing firearms from the hands of prohibited persons, and removing dangerous felons from our streets. Clearly, this felon had no hesitation in committing a violent crime with a firearm,
and he will now be removed from our community. We are FED UP. Gun Crime is Max Time."
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20, 2019, before U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman. Graham faces up to fifteen years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force, which includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Memphis Police Department; and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, who have all joined together to address gun-related crimes through targeted investigations and aggressive prosecution.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raney Irwin and Marques Young are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
