Pennsylvania Man Sentenced under Project EJECT to Over Four Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Jackson, Miss. – John Howard Murray, 45, of Erie, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

On Monday, September 25, 2017, Murray was arrested for burglarizing a residence in Clinton, Mississippi. A search of Murray’s vehicle revealed several items stolen from the residence including a firearm.

On December 3, 2018, Murray was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had previous convictions for receiving stolen property and burglary in Pennsylvania, and burglary in Madison County, Mississippi. Murray pled guilty before Judge Jordan on February 15, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Hurst commended the work of the Clinton Police Department and the FBI for their cooperation with ATF agents and Project EJECT task force members. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Chalk and Chet Kirkham are prosecuting the case.

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.