Hattiesburg, Miss. - James Douglas Maxwell, 26, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Maxwell was previously convicted in Forrest County in 2013 of being an accessory after the fact to armed robbery and was sentenced to serve 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, but with all 20 of those years suspended. On Feb. 14, 2019, Maxwell was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Hattiesburg.
Maxwell will be sentenced by Judge Starrett on January 9, 2020 at 10:15 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Forrest County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
