PORTLAND, Ore.—Jaelan Sarray Reid, 26, a known Hoover Criminal Gang member and resident of Portland, was sentenced today to 58 months in prison and three years’ supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
According to court documents, on June 18, 2020, a Morrow County sheriff’s deputy received a tip that several people with outstanding criminal arrest warrants were traveling west on Interstate-84 in a black Range Rover. The deputy located the vehicle with three occupants and conducted a traffic stop. Reid identified himself as “Charles Benton” and gave the deputy a false date of birth. The deputy identified Reid using a DMV photo and detained him.
During the traffic stop, the deputy noted a strong smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle pursuant to a state warrant issued in June 2020 and located a backpack behind the driver’s seat. Inside the package was a prescription bottle in Reid’s name and a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Reid was arrested and held at the Umatilla County Jail on state charges. During record jail calls, Reid made several incriminating statements about possessing the firearm in his backpack.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Lewis Burkhart, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is 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.