DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Virginia

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, August 15, 2018
G. Zachary Terwilliger
, United States Attorney
Contact: Joshua Stueve

Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Firearms

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Convicted felons who possess firearms present a significant danger to the safety of our law enforcement partners and the communities they serve,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners we remain steadfastly committed to removing illegally possessed firearms from our streets and reducing violent crime in our communities. The facts of this case exemplify the grave dangers our brave women and men in law enforcement may face every time they initiate a routine traffic stop.”

According to court documents, Slimero Grimes, 43, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by another individual, which disregarded stop signs, eluded police, and collided with a marked patrol vehicle. The police located Grimes in the front passenger seat wrestling with a shotgun that was in his lap as he attempted to exit the vehicle. Grime has prior convictions for abduction, robbery, and malicious wounding, and was convicted in 2010 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Removing dangerous felons in possession of illegal firearms from our streets is a task that ATF engages in daily,” said Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “ATF actively partners with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners to reduce crime and keep communities safe.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Holli R. Wood and Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Norman prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-33.

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Washington Field Division