Montavious Johnson Pleads Guilty to Gun Charges

Montavious Johnson, 25, of Ridgeland, pleaded guilty today to possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon—slamming headfirst into the federal justice system amid a sweeping anti-violence crackdown. The plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate in Jackson, ties Johnson to a cache of high-powered weapons pulled from a Jackson apartment after a narcotics arrest and coordinated raid.

On September 11, 2018, law enforcement agencies including the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Richland Police Department, DEA, and ATF descended on a Jackson apartment following Johnson’s arrest for drug trafficking. A search warrant execution uncovered a small arsenal: two AR-15 semiautomatic rifles, four pistols, and a loaded sixty-round high-capacity magazine inserted into one of the rifles. The weapons were found in a residence where Johnson was staying—while he was on parole and wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor.

Johnson’s criminal history is rooted in state felony convictions in both Madison County and Hinds County, Mississippi. At the time of the federal bust, he was under state supervision—conditions obliterated by the discovery of the firearms. Under federal law, felons are strictly prohibited from possessing firearms. Johnson was immediately slapped with a federal hold and ordered detained without bond.

He now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 25, 2019, before Judge Wingate. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Fulcher is handling the prosecution, building the case on interagency evidence gathered during the raid and subsequent forensic checks on the weapons.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, Richland Police Department, DEA, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Their collaboration underscores the backbone of Project EJECT, a Southern District of Mississippi initiative operating under the Justice Department’s national Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT—“Empower Justice Expel Crime Together”—is a multi-pronged strategy targeting violent offenders through prosecution, prevention, and community re-engagement.

Project Safe Neighborhoods, reinvigorated in 2017 under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, directs U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide to partner with local law enforcement and communities to dismantle violent crime networks. In Mississippi, EJECT has become a hammer against repeat offenders like Johnson—sending a clear message: guns, felons, and parole violations will be met with federal time.