Lauderdale Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm
Published 5:03 pm Sunday, September 12, 2021
Jackson, Miss. – A Lauderdale, Mississippi man was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
According to court documents, Levi Gibbs, Jr., 51, knowingly and intentionally possessed a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. On March 27, 2020, officers of the Meridian Police Department stopped a vehicle being driven by Gibbs after an officer observed Gibbs crossing over the center line of the road and speeding. When an officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, he saw a pistol in an ankle holster on Gibbs’ right leg. The officer checked Gibbs’ criminal record and discovered that Gibbs was a convicted felon. In fact, Gibbs has multiple felony convictions, several of which are for drug crimes. Gibbs is currently under indictment from the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Mississippi for Armed Robbery. As a convicted felon it is against federal law for Gibbs to possess any firearm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Meridian Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted 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.