BLUEFIELD, W.Va. - A Princeton man was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Akeem R. Dickerson, 28, also will serve three years of supervised release.
At his plea hearing in June, Dickerson admitted that on Aug. 31, 2019, an officer with the Princeton Police Department pulled him over for not wearing his seatbelt while he was driving. During the traffic stop, the officer smelled marijuana. When asked about the marijuana smell, Dickerson admitted that he did in fact have marijuana in the car and he also admitted that he had a gun. The officer then searched the car with Dickerson’s consent. The officer found a Springfield, model XDS,.45 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Dickerson admitted that knew he was not supposed to possess any firearms because he was a convicted felon. Dickerson was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because he was convicted in 2012 in McDowell County Circuit Court of the felony offenses of voluntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment with a firearm.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Princeton Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess handled the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the Project Guardian partners noted above. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-00011.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
