Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Willie L. Hill, 47, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Hill to a term of incarceration of 37 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On March 1, 2020, the Omaha Police Department (OPD) Gang Unit received information that Hill, a wanted fugitive, could be located at a motel on Dodge Street in Omaha. Police responded and observed several persons present, moving between two rooms. Officers had also received information that firearms and drugs were present. Officers converged to arrest Hill, who was among the people moving between rooms.
Hill was detained on an outside balcony and searched by an OPD Sergeant who recovered a.25 caliber Phoenix P51 handgun from Hill’s jacket pocket. Hill was arrested when a data check showed he had previously been convicted of several crimes in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska. Hill has been convicted of Tampering with a Juror, Witness, or Informant (2018), Burglary (2011), and Theft by Shoplifting (2013), all felonies which may result in imprisonment in excess of one year.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhood (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. The Department of Justice 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 case was primarily investigated by the Omaha Police Department Gang Unit.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
