Jackson, Miss.  – A Meridian man was sentenced to 57 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to court documents, James Ricky Stewart, Jr., 44, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Meridian Police Department on June 15, 2020 during a traffic stop.  Stewart had a .40 caliber pistol in his car.  Stewart has four prior felony convictions.  As a convicted felon it is contrary to federal law for Stewart to possess any firearm.

U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca of the Southern District of Mississippi; and Special Agent in Charge Kurt H. Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.

The ATF 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.