Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian, Mississippi man pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
According to court documents, James Ricky Stewart, Jr., 44, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Meridian Police Department on June 15, 2020, during a traffic stop. Stewart had a .40 caliber pistol in his car. Stewart has four prior felony convictions and it is contrary to federal law for him to possess any firearm.
Stewart is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Meridian Police Department and the ATF are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham is prosecuting 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.
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