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BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to prison for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei today.

Benjamin Bernard Garrett, 40, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2021, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

According to court documents, on Sep. 6, 2020, Beaumont police responded to a call of shots fired and was told the suspect was leaving in a white Chevy Malibu.  Officers located the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.  The car did not stop until it pulled into a driveway.  The driver, identified as Garrett, was taken into custody for evading with a motor vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed two handguns. Further investigation revealed Garrett had been previously convicted of four felony offenses prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.  Garrett was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 2, 2020, and charged with federal firearms violations.

“This defendant did more than just illegally possess a firearm, he discharged the weapon,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.  “Thankfully, no one was hurt, and we were able to take someone with a history of violent behavior off the streets of Beaumont.”

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.