Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison for Firearm Possession

RICHMOND, Va. – A previously convicted felon was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm.

“Convicted felons who possess firearms will be investigated and prosecuted at every opportunity,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our primary mission is public safety, and keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons goes a long way towards ensuring the safety of our law enforcement partners and the communities they serve. We are committed to removing illegally possessed firearms from our streets, and are zeroing in on criminals like Mr. Willis who are carrying firearms and driving crime in our communities.”

According to court documents, Zaymar Antonio Willis, 31, of Richmond, possessed multiple firearms, including a Bushmaster model XM15-E2S, caliber 223 Remington/ 5.56x45mm NATO semiautomatic pistol, with a 30-round magazine. Willis was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his prior felony convictions that included a 2009 drug trafficking conviction and a 2013 drug trafficking conviction. In addition to the 3 semiautomatic pistols recovered from the residence, the police also recovered a number of drug-related items, including digital scales, a plate with a razor blade and residue, numerous plastic sandwich bags with the corners ripped off and a small quantity of heroin wrapped in a plastic bag corner. Law enforcement also recovered over $3,500 in cash.

This case is 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Alfred Durham, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.