DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Nebraska

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Steven A. Russell
, United States Attorney
Contact: Michael Norris

Omaha Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Justin L. Coleman, 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher to 36 months’ incarceration for being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release, Coleman will serve a 3-year term of supervised release. 

On December 8, 2021, officers with the Omaha Police Department were called to 27th and Fort streets in Omaha for a suspicious party. Officers located Coleman in the area of the call and Coleman was taken into custody. Officers located the vehicle Coleman had been driving in the street near his arrest. In the vehicle, officers located a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 handgun. The firearm was submitted for DNA testing and Coleman could not be excluded as a contributor. The firearm was originally purchased in Iowa and travelled in interstate commerce prior to being found in Nebraska on December 8, 2021. Prior to December 8, 2021, Coleman had been convicted and knew that he had been convicted of a felony. Specifically, Coleman was previously convicted of and knew that he had been convicted of Attempted Burglary. 

This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives as 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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Kansas City Field Division