Drug-dealing killer sentenced to federal prison for possessing firearm illegally (DOJ)

ATLANTA - Jesse James Williams, Jr., a 14-time convicted felon who once killed a man over a $10 drug debt, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm.

"Amassing more than a dozen felony convictions, this violent, incorrigible defendant spent decades breaking the law," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Williams's sentence sends an unmistakable message: repeat offenders who arm themselves and endanger the community will be removed from our streets. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who refuse to respect the law face its full weight."

"Williams has demonstrated time and again that he has no regard for the law or the safety of others. A violent convicted felon with a history of drug trafficking, robbery, and weapons offenses has no place on our streets with a firearm, and this sentence ensures he will be held accountable for his continued criminal conduct," said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue violent offenders who use firearms to threaten and harm our communities."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and evidence presented in court: On May 29, 2024, a Gwinnett County Police Department officer stopped Williams's car for speeding. During the stop, officers recovered a stolen pistol and a baggie of crack cocaine in Williams's waistband. Law enforcement agents later linked the gun to a shooting in Decatur, Georgia that injured a woman. Before the shooting, Williams allegedly warned the victim, "Bitch, I told you not to touch my stuff."

Prior to his 2024 arrest, Williams had amassed more than a dozen felony convictions for crimes including cocaine trafficking, robbery, burglary, and weapon possession. In 2011, Williams was convicted of voluntary manslaughter after killing another man over a $10 drug debt.

On August 25, 2026, United States District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Jesse James Williams Jr., 51, of Decatur, Georgia, to 14 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. On December 18, 2025, a jury found Williams guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, after a four-day trial.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance provided by the Gwinnett County Police Department, the DeKalb Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

Assistant United States Attorneys Dash A. Cooper and Phyllis Clerk prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.