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Jackson, Miss. – Terrence Omar Gates, 32, of Jackson, was found guilty this morning by a federal jury for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis.
On June 7, 2017, officers with the Jackson Police Department stopped Terrence Omar Gates for traffic violations at the corner of Mill Street and Mitchell Street. While running Gates’ driver’s license, one of the officers observed Gates reaching under the front passenger seat. Gates was ordered to stop reaching and was removed from the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered a stolen Taurus pistol, a glass mason jar containing approximately 30 grams of marijuana, and a black digital weighing scale from under the front passenger seat where Gates was reaching. Approximately $6,937.00 wrapped in a rubber band was also recovered from Gates front left pocket.
Gates was previously convicted in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee, for the felony offense of Criminal Simulation. He was also convicted in the Circuit Court of Hinds County for felony offenses of Possession of Counterfeit Currency and Grand Larceny.
Gates will be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr., on December 18, 2018, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Keesha D. Middleton.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together.” PSN is 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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.
