Memphis, TN – Michael Ransom, 34, has been sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for being a
convicted felon in possession of a firearms as well as being in possession of those firearms after
having a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the
sentence today.
According to information presented in court, in May 2020, Memphis Police Officers responded to an
armed party call that two men were seen near Annie Street carrying assault rifles to a red car.
When officers arrived, Michael Ransom got out of the red car and immediately started running from
police. Still seated alone inside the red car, were Ransom’s two minor children.
Officers recovered from the front seat a Taurus 9mm handgun and a Smith and Wesson assault rifle.
Both guns were loaded with one round of ammunition in the chamber and multiple rounds in the
magazines. Officers also recovered a plastic bag containing 4.3 grams of cocaine from the driver’s
side door. Ransom was caught and arrested on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault.
Ransom had previously been convicted in March of 2010 of facilitating carjacking. He was also
convicted in October 2017 of misdemeanor domestic assault with bodily harm. As a result of these
convictions, Ransom is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
On October 27, 2022, United States District Court Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Ransom to 96
months in federal prison to be followed by three years’ of supervised release. There is no parole
in the federal system.
This case was investigated by Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Memphis Police
Department and the ATF. PSN is a 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. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime
reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy
in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from
occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring
the results.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin and Special
Assistant United States Attorney Sam Winnig, who prosecuted this case.
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For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901-544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow@WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.