A Mississippi man was sentenced to federal prison last week for possessing an unlicensed machine gun.

Jamarhi Raheem Lucas, 23, of Natchez, was sentenced Thursday by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette, III to 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Lucas was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

On September 22, 2018, Jamarhi Raheem Lucas, who was one of two men standing outside of a residence on Ouachita Street in Natchez, attempted to flee from law enforcement officers as they approached him. Officers detained him and while they were identifying him, they observed a short-barreled, fully automatic rifle, commonly-known as a machine gun, in a car that belonged to him. Officer seized the short-barreled machine gun.

On March 5, 2020, Jamarhi Raheem Lucas pleaded guilty to illegally possessing the machine gun.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bert Carraway and Glenda Haynes.