Shreveport Man Convicted by Federal Jury Sentenced on Firearms Charge
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that James Albert Mayo, III, 39, of Shreveport, was sentenced today for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Foote sentenced Mayo to 51 months, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
A jury returned a guilty verdict against Mayo on November 13, 2019 after a two-day trial. According to evidence introduced at trial, law enforcement agents received a complaint of people smoking marijuana in a vehicle in a Shreveport neighborhood. When officers arrived, they found Mayo, along with others, in the vehicle. After further investigation, agents found that Mayo, a convicted felon, had a round of 9mm ammunition in his pocket that matched a round of ammunition recovered from a Smith & Wesson pistol that was in the vehicle where Mayo was sitting. Additionally, the firearm had been reported as stolen out of Killeen, Texas.
During the trial, the front seat passenger of the vehicle Mayo was riding in claimed possession of the Smith & Wesson and had previously pled guilty in Caddo District Court to possessing the stolen firearm. The trial jury did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mayo possessed the Smith & Wesson pistol and only convicted him of possessing the ammunition. However, at sentencing, the Court found the testimony of the front seat passenger not credible, finding that Mayo possessed the Smith & Wesson pistol and considered the possession of the firearm in handing down the sentence.
Mayo’s three prior felony convictions in Caddo Parish are for attempted distribution of narcotics (2005), possession of narcotics (2011), and possession of narcotics (2013). Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
The ATF and the Caddo-Shreveport Mid-Level Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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