Jackson Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison Under Project EJECT for Armed Robbery of Dollar General Store

Jackson, Miss. – Jalen Xavier Simmons, 19, of Jackson, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to serve 7 years and one day in federal prison for robbing a local Dollar General store in Jackson and brandishing a firearm during that crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Simmons was also sentenced to 4 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

On April 6, 2018, Simmons entered the Dollar General on Briarwood Drive in Jackson carrying a stolen 9mm pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. He robbed multiple shoppers of their cash and demanded Dollar General employees open the cash register. Jackson Police officers soon arrived on the scene and Simmons was arrested.

Simmons was charged in a federal indictment on September 29, 2018, with one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the crime of violence. He pled guilty without a plea agreement on December 17, 2018.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.