Jeremiah Clinton Gray, a 43-year-old resident of Blue Ridge, Georgia, has been sentenced to one year and four months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following his release from prison, Gray will serve three years of supervised release.
The case stems from an incident on July 22, 2024, when law enforcement responded to reports of a man inside a business in Jackson County, Ohio. The individual was reported to have a firearm, body armor, and a badge. Authorities identified the man as Gray. He left the scene in a vehicle without a license plate and fled from police during an attempted traffic stop. The pursuit crossed into West Virginia and ended in Charleston after officers used spike strips to stop the vehicle.
Upon arresting Gray, officers found he had a loaded Taurus model 1911 Officer 9mm pistol on his person and a loaded Mossberg model 590 Shockwave .410-gauge shotgun inside the vehicle.
Federal law prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Court records show that Gray was aware he could not legally possess firearms due to his previous conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. That conviction occurred on October 20, 2023, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the sentence and recognized the investigative efforts by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), West Virginia State Police, and Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber handed down the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and addressing violent crime through coordinated resources such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Further information about this case can be found by searching Case No. 2:25-cr-35 on PACER.
