CINCINNATI - Acting United States Attorney Vipal J. Patel and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley announced today the designation of a special prosecutor to assist with federal gun cases.
Meagan W. Myers with the City of Cincinnati Law Department has been designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) and will continue an anti-violence initiative between the local and federal prosecutor’s offices.
“Meagan is an accomplished and respected prosecutor for the City of Cincinnati, and we look forward to continued success in her new role at the Department of Justice," said Deputy City Solicitor Emily Smart Woerner.
The initiative includes a committed focus from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively to identify those individuals who consistently use firearms to commit crimes, who habitually possess illegal firearms, and who present a clear threat to the safety of the community.
Federally, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Defendants convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison. Offenders who possess a firearm after having been convicted of three violent felonies face between 15 years and life in prison.
The SAUSA position is dedicated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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
