A Mississippi man was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on March 24, 2022, Shermaine Monteil Burse, 27, of Jackson, was found in possession of a firearm by FBI agents and Jackson Police officers after an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Burse was a passenger. A firearm was found at Burse’s feet on the floorboard. Burse has prior felony convictions out of Hinds County for possession of a stolen weapon and receiving stolen goods. As a convicted felon, Burse is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Burse was indicted by a federal grand jury and subsequently pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Terrill and Matt Allen prosecuted the case.

This case was 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.