Habitual Firearms Offender, Prosecuted Under Safe Summer Program, Sentenced To 106 Months

Press Release

George Henry of Kalamazoo sentenced for felon in possession and drug trafficking offenses

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GRAND RAPIDS" datavalue="GRAND RAPIDS"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="KALAMAZOO" datavalue="KALAMAZOO"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="MARQUETTE" datavalue="MARQUETTE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="LANSING" datavalue="LANSING">GRAND RAPIDS - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that George William Henry, 48, of Kalamazoo was sentenced to 106 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Henry was charged as part of Safe Summer 2023, a gun-violence enforcement program under which the U.S. Attorney's Office committed to prosecute all firearms offenders who possess crime guns (that is, guns previously fired in the commission of a crime). Henry earlier pleaded guilty in May 2024.

"Everyone, no matter where they live, has a right to live free from gun violence," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "Our Safe Summer program is one tool to make this right a reality. This program keeps us focused on those few individuals - like George Henry - who are driving violence in our communities."

On January 25, 2023, Police found Henry in his Kalamazoo home with an assault rifle equipped with a bump stock and high-capacity drum magazine, a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, and cocaine that was packaged for sale. Henry had previously been convicted of several gun and drug felonies.

Henry was also charged with possessing another gun and more drugs on August 9, 2023. These charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, but Henry agreed that the court could consider this other conduct as part of the appropriate sentence. This gun, a Smith and Wesson handgun, was linked to a Kalamazoo homicide case earlier in 2023 via the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).

In addition, during a traffic stop on November 4, 2023, authorities discovered Henry with yet another gun, a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun and a quantity of drugs. This weapon was linked via NIBIN to two Kalamazoo shootings that occurred earlier in 2023.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced the second year of the Safe Summer program on May 23, 2024 in a press release and press conferences in Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Grand Rapids. Under this program, the U.S. Attorney's Office will prosecute all cases that satisfy two criteria. First, the case must involve a federal firearms offense. The two most common offenses are felon in possession, which prohibits previously convicted felons from possessing a gun, and possession of a machine gun, which generally prohibits persons from possessing fully automatic guns. Second, the case must involve a crime gun, which is any gun previously fired in the commission of a crime. These criteria focus federal efforts on the few individuals driving gun violence in their communities.

Gun violence is an acute problem across the United States. In 2021, for the first time ever, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death for American children, ages birth to 19, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (see also here). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. firearm homicide rate in 2021 was the highest documented since 1993. While the numbers have declined since 2021, they remain high.

Moreover, while gun violence has the potential to impact everyone, recent studies show that gun violence has a disparate impact on people of color. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that the disparity in shooting injuries among children before and after the pandemic in four major cities approximately tripled as between white children and children of color (Black, Hispanic, Asian).

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psn.

This case was investigated by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy VerHey.

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Updated November 1, 2024