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Felon Sentenced to 8+ Years for Possessing Firearm
- Key Facts

Felon Sentenced to 8+ Years for Possessing Firearm

A 25-year-old man from Jackson, Mississippi, has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Shawndell Phillip Smith was found sleeping in a car on the side of Interstate 380 in Black Hawk County with over three ounces of marijuana and a loaded handgun in November 2020.

During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a loaded pistol with a round chambered and three baggies containing over 87 grams of marijuana. Smith was arrested and later pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in April 2021.

While being held in the Linn County Jail, Smith punched two other inmates in the head repeatedly, showing a history of violent behavior. The incident occurred while he was awaiting sentencing.

Smith was sentenced by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams to 102 months’ imprisonment. He will also serve a three-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 the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a evidence-based program aimed at reducing violent crime. PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs.

Smith is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Gillespie and Dan Chatham.

For more information on the case, visit the court’s website at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 21-CR-02011-CJW-MAR. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA for the latest updates on this and other cases.