DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Mississippi

For Immediate Release

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Jackson Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison under Project EJECT for Illegally Possessing Firearm

Jackson, Miss. – Cherilyn Patrice Humphery, 46, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee, to 60 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Smith was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

On May 23, 2019, the Jackson Police Department was looking for a potential robbery suspect at a local hotel. Law enforcement came in contact with Humphery in a hotel room. Officers obtained consent to search the room and found cocaine residue and a firearm. Humphery admitting ownership of the firearm. Humphery was previously convicted of armed robbery and manslaughter in Hinds County in 1995, cocaine possession in Hinds County in 1998, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi in 2003.

Humphery was indicted on January 15, 2020 and pled guilty before Judge Lee on October 8, 2020.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Wansley.

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New Orleans Field Division