A Mississippi woman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives.

According to court documents, Betty Butler, 56, of Jackson, possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony.  On Dec. 8, 2021, federal and state law enforcement executed a search warrant at her home and found a firearm in her bedroom. Butler has several prior felony convictions for narcotics violations.

Butler is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2023, and 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department. Criminal Chief Erin Chalk and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, “Bell Ringer”, which began as an operation targeting illegal methamphetamine and cocaine distribution in central, Mississippi. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.