U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Farmerville man pleaded guilty to possessing a sawed-off shotgun.
Juama Tremel Palmer, 33, of Farmerville, La., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches. A Farmerville police officer conducted a traffic stop on Palmer’s vehicle on October 9, 2016 after receiving a tip that he was distributing narcotics. While searching the vehicle, the officer found a 12 gauge sawed-off shotgun and a loaded .22 revolver with a destroyed serial number in the car. Along with the guns the officer found $1,090, a pair of digital scales and various drugs in Palmer’s pockets.
Shotguns that are less than 26 inches overall or a barrel less than 18 inches in length must be registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release loss of seized items, and a $10,000 fine. He is set to have a sentencing date of September 27, 2017.
Palmer’s investigation is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative program to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes.
The ATF and Farmerville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Paul Gillespie and Earl M. Campbell are prosecuting the case.