A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
The Department of Justice says Deshawn Maceo Richardson, 27, pled guilty to the charge in October 2020.
According to court documents, Richardson sold suspected methamphetamine throughout the summer of 2019. Immediately following the final drug transaction, in the parking lot of a hotel on Jacksonville’s southside, Richardson ran from law enforcement on foot. During his attempted escape, Richardson dropped a stolen .40 caliber Glock pistol with a 30-round capacity magazine.
Investigators say the magazine had 17 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber.
Prior to these events, Richardson had been convicted of grand theft auto, sale/manufacture/deliver cocaine, sale/deliver heroin, and child abuse and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce Federal firearms laws.