TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Jeremiah Butler-Jackson, 20, Tampa, to four years and two months in federal prison for possessing a loaded gun as a convicted felon. Butler-Jackson had pleaded guilty on October 8, 2020.
According to court documents and information presented during the sentencing hearing, Butler-Jackson is known to law enforcement as a Progress Village gang member. His criminal history involves multiple crimes of violence, including shooting and robbery. On October 2, 2019, officers observed that Butler-Jackson had posted a video on Instagram in which he posed with a handgun clipped to his waistband. A few minutes later, officers observed Butler-Jackson in public wearing the same clothes as in the video. When they attempted to detain him, he fled on foot, discarding the gun in the yard of a private residence as he ran. Officers caught Butler-Jackson and recovered the gun, which matched the one displayed in the Instagram video.
As a previously convicted felon, Butler-Jackson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
