Friday, March 23, 2018

Long Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal Grand Jury


Jackson, Miss. – David Hawthorne, 36, of Long Beach, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to making false declarations before a federal grand jury, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze.

On December 8, 2015, Hawthorne appeared before a federal grand jury in Jackson and proceeded to offer false testimony regarding having traveled with another individual to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for the purpose of purchasing an expensive boat. He testified to the federal grand jury in great detail about this supposed trip with his companion. However, no such trip ever took place. This meant that the bill of sale reflecting the purchase of the boat in south Florida, which was provided by his companion to the FBI, was in fact fraudulent. In pleading guilty, Hawthorne admitted to Judge Wingate that his testimony before the federal grand jury was in fact false.

Hawthorne will be sentenced by Judge Wingate in Jackson on June 8, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Hurst praised the investigative work conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Golden who prosecuted the case.

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