Lincoln Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Possession of Drugs, Firearm
Joseph Thompson, 24, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He will serve an additional 5 years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
On April 29, 2021, Lincoln Police investigators searched a hotel room and found a backpack containing marijuana, pills, and a firearm magazine speed loader. The search also uncovered more marijuana, a scale, more pills, and a 9 mm pistol, which was located under a TV cabinet. The pistol was loaded, had an extended magazine attached, and was found to be stolen in 2017 out of McKinney, Texas.
Hotel surveillance video showed Thompson carrying the same backpack into the hotel room. Police interviewed Thompson, who admitted that the marijuana in the hotel room belonged to him. Investigators seized Thompson’s cell phone from the hotel room and obtained a search warrant. Data from the phone showed evidence of drug dealing and firearms possession, including photos and videos of guns of various makes and calibers. For example, an April 28 photo depicted a gun with an extended magazine and light attachment that appeared to be the same gun found under the TV cabinet in the hotel room on April 29.
Data from the phone also showed communication from Thompson consistent with drug distribution spanning February to March 2021. In an unrelated investigation stemming from a July 8, 2021, shooting in Lincoln, investigators again seized Thompson’s phone, and obtained a search warrant. Data from the phone showed Thompson’s continued firearm possession and drug distribution between April and July 2021.
Thompson is a felon because of a 2017 conviction for Possession of a Firearm on School Grounds. This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
The case highlights the importance of community-based organizations in preventing violence from occurring in the first place. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. government launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Key Facts
- State: Nebraska
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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