Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

GULPORT, Miss. – A Gulfport man pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm.

According to court documents, Makee McLemore, 20, of Gulfport, was arrested following a Gulfport Police Department investigation into a string of vehicle burglaries resulting in multiple stolen guns. Officers determined that McLemore was a suspect in the vehicle burglaries. He was arrested and a search warrant was executed at his residence. McLemore subsequently admitted to participating in some of the vehicle burglaries and to stealing a Sig Sauer firearm. McLemore gave officers the location of the stolen firearm at his residence. 

On Sept. 19, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging McLemore with possession of a stolen firearm. 

McLemore is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the ATF along with assistance from the Gulfport Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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