Jackson, Miss. – A Toomsuba man was sentenced today to 24 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, on July 27, 2020, Kristopher Calvin Branch, 44, was found in possession of a firearm by officers of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department during an unrelated investigation concerning trespassing.  Branch has four prior felony convictions.  As a convicted felon, it is contrary to federal law for Branch to possess any firearm.

The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF 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.