Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Asa Jackson, 40, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted after trial of unlawfully possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony. The charges arose from an incident during which he threatened and intimidated two victims while possessing a firearm.

In May 2020, in the Harrowgate section of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Police officers responded to a call that someone had assaulted two women inside a Frankford Avenue corner store and threatened them with a firearm. When officers arrived, they observed a man one block away who fit the description in the call, later identified as the defendant. When Jackson saw the police, he ducked between two parked vehicles and appeared to drop something to the ground that made a metallic sound. Police apprehended Jackson and recovered a loaded pistol between the two parked vehicles.

“The crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm is a serious offense, particularly in Philadelphia where gun violence has reached record-breaking proportions,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As the evidence presented at trial showed, Asa Jackson illegally possessed a loaded firearm that fortunately was recovered by Philadelphia Police officers. Our Office is determined to continue doing everything we can to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia by being ‘All Hands On Deck’ to get criminals like this defendant off the streets for a long time.”

“This conviction is a result of the hard work and collaboration between our local, state and federal law enforcement partners,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division.  “Anytime dangerous felons commit gun crimes; we will use all of our available resources to make sure justice prevails.  The community is a safer place with this guilty verdict.”

This case is 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright.