United States of America v. Willie Dean Nelson, III

Beaumont, Texas criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with federal gun violation

Jefferson County felon sentenced for federal gun violation

A Hamshire convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.



Willie Dean Nelson, III, 32, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and was sentenced to 105 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on January 14, 2025.



According to information presented in court, on October 26, 2022, law enforcement officers responded to a Beaumont Fastlane convenience store robbery. The caller gave the description of the vehicle and witnesses described the subject and advised he was armed. The vehicle was located nearby, and Nelson was observed exiting the vehicle. A pistol was discovered laying a few feet in front of the vehicle. Nelson admitted to throwing the firearm from the vehicle when he saw the officers because he was a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.



This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.



This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.