Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Meridian Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon
Jackson, Miss. – A Meridian man was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to court documents, Waltravious Leeandre Watson, 31, was found in possession of nine firearms by officers of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office on February 19, 2020, during a search of his home. Watson has a prior felony conviction for burglary of a dwelling. As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Watson to possess any firearm.
Watson pled guilty on March 21, 2023, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Allen and Charles W. Kirkham are 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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