-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced JAMIL HASSAN LEWIS, 37, of Henderson to 63 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
LEWIS was charged in a one-count indictment filed on May 2, 2018. On July 25, 2018, LEWIS pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On September 12, 2017, officers with the Selective Enforcement Unit of the Raleigh Police Department were attempting to locate LEWIS due to outstanding warrants for multiple sex offenses. During their search, officers went to an address in which they believed LEWIS was located. Officers knocked on the door and LEWIS answered and was placed under arrest. A protective sweep of the home recovered a loaded .25 caliber handgun in plain view. During subsequent questioning, LEWIS confessed to having the firearm.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Raleigh Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Daniel William Smith prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
News releases are available on the U.S. Attorney’s webpage located at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC
