WILMINGTON, N.C. - Jerome Little of Greenville was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Among other crimes, Little was previously convicted of armed bank robbery.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the charge arose from a long-term investigation that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted using an undercover warehouse in Kinston, NC. During the investigation, agents used the location-outfitted with audio and video monitoring equipment-to make controlled purchases of firearms and drugs from multiple individuals.
In August 2018, a confidential informant notified ATF that the defendant Jerome Little was interested in selling a rifle that resembled an AR-15. Undercover officers and Little negotiated a price and arranged a meeting. On Aug. 22, 2018, Little arrived at the warehouse carrying a suit bag. He contacted the undercover agent and unzipped the bag to reveal a loaded Mossberg.22 rifle and 325 rounds of ammunition. On a recorded video, Little sold the rifle to the agent.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted 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.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. ATF and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-0005-M.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
