Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Firearms Dealer

Jackson, MS - A Nigerian national unlawfully present in the United States pleaded guilty on Monday, December 15th in federal court to making false statements while attempting to purchase a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Laurel Echezonam, 25, entered the country unlawfully via the United States Southern Border in 2022. Immigration officials determined that Echezonam was a Nigerian national in the country without approval.

On June 7, 2024, and June 8, 2024, Echezonam traveled from his residence in Vicksburg, Mississippi to purchase a firearm at different firearms dealers. When Echezonam completed the required firearms purchase form, he made false statements regarding his immigration status to deceive the firearms dealer into selling him the firearms. Echezonam was denied the firearms based on his immigration status and was subsequently apprehended by immigration officials.

Laurel Echezonam is scheduled to be sentenced on March 17, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of up to ten 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 ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson if the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn Murray and C. Brett Grantham are 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).