Jackson, Miss. - A Toomsuba man pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to court documents, Kristopher Calvin Branch, 44, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department on July 27, 2020, during an unrelated investigation concerning trespassing. Branch had a small caliber pistol in his pocket. Branch has four prior felony convictions. As a convicted felon it is contrary to federal law for Branch to possess any firearm.
Branch is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27, 2021 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
