Dewayne Yates, 28, of Picayune, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to 96 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $1,500 fine, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Yates was previously convicted of felonious aggravated assault with a gun in Hinds County and was sentenced to serve twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with ten of those years suspended. On March 31, 2017, Yates was found in possession of a firearm during an administrative checkpoint in Jackson, Mississippi.
In deciding Yates’ sentence, Judge Wingate varied upward from the Sentencing Guideline range, citing Yates’ prior criminal history and propensity for violence.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Jackson Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
