Jonathan D. Ross U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas
A Memphis man, Percy Jackson, 40, has been convicted by a federal jury in Arkansas for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The announcement was made by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. This marks Jackson’s second federal conviction for this offense.
Jackson was indicted on June 6, 2024, facing three charges: being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. After a three-day trial before Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker, the jury found Jackson guilty only on the first count—felon in possession of a firearm—after about three hours of deliberation. He was acquitted on the other two counts.
Evidence presented at trial showed that on October 10, 2023, officers from the West Memphis Police Department stopped Jackson’s vehicle due to a defective brake light and expired tags. Jackson appeared nervous during questioning and was removed from his car so officers could conduct a search. They found a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun under the driver’s seat that had previously been reported stolen. Pills containing fentanyl were also discovered in the glove compartment.
At the time of his arrest, Jackson was on supervised release from an earlier conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in Tennessee. He had been released from federal prison on September 28, 2022 after serving 15 years for that offense.
Due to his prior conviction and violent criminal history—which includes four convictions for aggravated robbery and one for facilitation of especially aggravated robbery—Jackson will be sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act by Judge Baker at a later date. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation with support from the West Memphis Police Department and Second Judicial Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge prosecuted the case.
"There is no parole in the federal system," according to information provided by authorities.
