Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Jackson Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to court documents, Benjamin Demon McAbee, 42, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Jackson Police Department on October 27, 2020. McAbee has prior felony convictions for both violent and non-violent offenses. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for him to possess any firearm.
McAbee was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 17, 2020, and pled guilty on July 21, 2022, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His lengthy sentence is due to the number and nature of his prior felony convictions.
The ATF and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.