Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Jamarquis Vasean Tate, 25, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.
According to court records, on December 3, 2021, Tate was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Hattiesburg Police Department after a reported disturbance at an area hotel. Tate fled from the vehicle, and an officer chased and caught Tate on foot. During the chase, Tate discarded a firearm, which was observed by the officer and recorded on video. Tate was detained and the firearm recovered. Tate has a previous felony conviction, and it is a violation of federal law for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
Tate is scheduled to be sentenced on October 4, 2023, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF and Hattiesburg Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
