JACKSON, MS – Deonta Miller, 36, of Jackson, Mississippi, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 54 months for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and an additional 51 months – to be served concurrently – for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The combined sentence effectively locks Miller away for over four and a half years.
The trouble began March 3, 2020, when the Richland Police Department attempted to serve Miller an outstanding arrest warrant. Instead of cooperating, Miller bolted, leading officers on a brief chase that ended with a crash into a hotel off Highway 80 West in Hinds County. He ditched a firearm in the wrecked vehicle and tried to escape on foot, but was quickly apprehended. This wasn’t Miller’s first brush with gun-related charges; he’s previously been convicted of both carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
But the gun charge wasn’t the only scheme Miller was running. On March 11, 2022, Miller teamed up with two unknown accomplices to defraud lenders, securing auto loans under false pretenses. Miller allegedly used a fabricated identity – a bogus name, social security number, driver’s license, and even a fake utility bill – to obtain a loan for a vehicle. The scheme was designed to rip off banks and auto lenders, lining Miller’s pockets at their expense.
Miller pleaded guilty to both the firearm charge on February 16, 2023, and the conspiracy to commit bank fraud on March 21, 2023. U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, along with David Denton, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentencing this week.
The investigation was a multi-agency effort. The Richland Police Department and ATF took the lead on the firearm case, while the Madison Police Department and HSI investigated the bank fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam T. Stuart (firearm case) and Charles W. Kirkham (fraud case) handled the prosecutions. The case is being touted as a success under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a federally funded initiative aimed at reducing violent crime.
PSN focuses on targeting the most dangerous offenders and partnering with local programs to prevent future crimes. While officials tout the program’s effectiveness, it remains to be seen if this sentence – and the broader PSN strategy – will significantly impact crime rates in Jackson or across the Southern District of Mississippi. For now, Deonta Miller’s days of running schemes and illegally possessing firearms are over, at least for the next four-plus years.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher B. Epps, Bribery and Wire Fraud, Jackson MS, 2023 · Florida
- Eric Dwayne Williams, Felony Gun Charge, Shreveport LA, 2023 · Louisiana
- Kevin Jackson Sentenced to 102 Months for Access Device Fraud, Mont… · Alabama
- Charlie Jackson, Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, AL, 2014 · Alabama
- Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez Nuñez, Elder Fraud Scheme, Boston MA, 2026 · Ohio
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Weapons
- Source: Official Press Release
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