Operation Ceasefire Secures Sentence for Portsmouth Gun Crime

~ AG Miyares’ Operation Ceasefire secured a 5 year sentence for convicted felon illegally possessing multiple firearms ~

NORFOLK, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced that a Portsmouth man was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally possessing multiple firearms and a machinegun conversion device as a convicted felon. 

On June 9, 2022, after a lengthy investigation into several individuals suspected of being involved in the distribution of narcotics, law enforcement officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at the Portsmouth residence of Michael Jerrod Scott, 40. During the search, officers recovered three firearms, multiple firearm magazines and ammunition, approximately six ounces of marijuana and related edible products, items associated with the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and $2,920 in cash.

One of the firearms had a machinegun conversion device installed at the rear of the slide, which made it a “machinegun” as defined by federal law. Scott had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of robbery, statutory burglary of a dwelling while armed, use of a firearm in the commission of armed burglary, and possession of a schedule I or II drug.

“It’s illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms, and those who do should expect to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Miyares. 

Attorney General Miyares; Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police; and Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Comstock and Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc West prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Attorney General Miyares’ Operation Ceasefire, an initiative to combat violent gun crime through rigorous prosecution and effective community prevention. This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a DOJ 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. 

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