Madison Man Pleads Guilty to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm (DOJ)

Jackson, MS - A Madison man pleaded guilty on Wednesday, May 13th in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers stopped Cornelius Ellis and another man on September 13, 2024, in Hinds County and discovered that Ellis was in possession of a handgun at the intersection of Ridgeway and Missouri Street. At the time of the stop, Ellis had previously been convicted of two felony offenses in Hinds County including aggravated assault by firearm in 2015 where he served an eight-year sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Cornelius Ellis is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Jackson Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).