Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm

Memphis, TN - A Memphis man, Derrick Richard, 36, has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on December 22, 2022, an officer with the Memphis Police Department arrested Richard and discovered a Jimenez .25 caliber pistol in Richard's pocket.

A trial jury made a special finding that Richard had previously been convicted of three violent felonies on different occasions, therefore designating Richard as an Armed Career Criminal (ACC). Due to this designation, Richard was facing a mandatory statutory minimum of fifteen years in prison.

On March 12, 2026, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Richard to 188 months in federal prison for one count of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "This case targets and removes a dangerous person from the community BEFORE he pulls the trigger again. Richard has spent years sowing a culture of criminality in Memphis, and he will now reap a long prison sentence without the sanctuary of parole."

This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department (MPD) and the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jermal Blanchard and Jennifer Musselwhite prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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