Two men from the Richmond area have been sentenced to prison and a third has been convicted this week for federal firearms offenses involving possession of firearms by felons.
Court documents show that Devon Sherman Mickins, 26, came under investigation by Richmond Police on August 30, 2024, after posting a photo of himself holding a rifle on Instagram. On September 4, 2024, an RPD detective saw Mickins with the same rifle outside his apartment. Officers approached him while he had the rifle in his lap. Mickins complied with police commands and was taken into custody without incident. A second firearm was recovered from his apartment.
Mickins has previous felony convictions for malicious wounding, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon from incidents in Richmond in 2019 and 2021. He pleaded guilty on March 6 and was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover prosecuted the case.
In another case, RPD officers observed Javion Stamper, 25, standing with a group on September 29, 2024; Stamper appeared to have a firearm in his waistband. When officers attempted to investigate further, Stamper fled but was detained after a short pursuit. Officers found the loaded stolen firearm where Stamper had tried to hide it. Stamper had previously been convicted of robbery in 2019.
Stamper pleaded guilty on April 25 and received a sentence of one year and nine months in prison from Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. The prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony.
On May 7, 2024, Henrico County Police stopped Ross Allan Jefferson, 44, who had outstanding warrants in Richmond and Petersburg. During the stop, officers found a loaded handgun with an extended magazine under the driver’s seat; its serial number had been removed. Jefferson also had ammunition in his pocket at the time of arrest.
Jefferson has ten prior adult felony convictions including drug offenses dating back to 2002 as well as possession of ammunition by a felon (2015). He pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm before Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne; sentencing is set for November 20 where he faces up to fifteen years in prison.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood of ATF Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards of Richmond Police; Eric D. English of Henrico County Police Division; Jason S. Miyares, Virginia Attorney General; and Colette Wallace McEachin announced these actions.
“These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” according to officials involved in the announcement.“On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
Further information about these cases can be found through court records or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva.
