Related Federal Cases
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun
A convicted felon with a history of unlawfully possessing firearms was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for violating the law once again.
Dezarris Shemeek Wilkerson, 26, of Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term on September 19, 2018, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on April 5, 2018.
In a plea agreement, Wilkerson admitted to possessing a pistol on June 4, 2017. At the time, he was a convicted felon. When officers made contact with Wilkerson on June 4, he was drunk and in possession of marijuana.
This isn’t the first time Wilkerson has been caught with illegal firearms. In 2011, he was convicted in federal court for being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm. He admitted to stealing a shotgun from a vacant house. In 2012, Wilkerson was convicted of carrying weapons in state court. He was found with a loaded revolver that had the serial number scratched off.
Wilkerson’s latest conviction also includes admitting that police found him in a vehicle on January 5, 2016, with a handgun under the seat. He is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
Wilkerson was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment and will have to serve a 3-year term of supervised release after completing his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has prioritized addressing the rising trend of violent crime in America, and the reinvigoration of PSN is a key part of that effort.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 17-cr-02082.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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