Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

GREENEVILLE, Tenn.– Darries Leon Jackson, a.k.a.“Darryl Jackson,” 58, of Morristown, Tennessee, was sentenced on July 31, 2017, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve life in federal prison for his conviction of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.

Jackson was convicted, following a three-day jury trial in April 2017. He was subject to the provisions of the Armed Career Criminal Act, whereby a person convicted of possessing a firearm or ammunition after a felony conviction is subject to a minimum mandatory 15-year sentence up to life in prison if that person has three or more prior violent felony or drug felony convictions.

Jackson is awaiting trial in state court for the murder of one individual in Hawkins County and attempted murder of another individual in Hamblen County in October 2014. The ammunition that was the subject of his federal charges is believed to be the same ammunition used in the commission of these crimes.

Agencies involved in this investigation included the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Bowman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey W. Lane represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.