Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Jeremiah Malik Jefferson, a 27-year-old resident of Benicia, has been sentenced to seven years in prison. U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez issued the sentence following Jefferson's second conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that on Oct. 1, 2023, Jefferson brandished a firearm during an altercation while on supervised release for a prior 2021 conviction related to a federal gun case. Law enforcement discovered a loaded firearm with a high-capacity magazine at Jefferson’s residence on Nov. 1, 2023. The firearm had been previously reported stolen. Jefferson is barred from possessing firearms due to multiple past felony convictions, including burglary and a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Alongside the seven-year sentence, Jefferson received a two-year sentence for violating supervised release terms, to be served concurrently.
This case stemmed from a collaborative investigation involving the U.S. Probation Office, Benicia Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.
This prosecution forms part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative uniting law enforcement and communities to decrease violent crime and gun violence. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice enhanced PSN with a violent crime reduction strategy. The strategy emphasizes trust, community engagement, strategic enforcement, and evaluation of results.
For additional details on Project Safe Neighborhoods, information is available at Justice.gov/PSN.
