U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey announced on Mar. 11 that Malik Jones-Smith, a 30-year-old from Muskegon, Michigan, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and violating supervised release. United States District Judge Jane M. Beckering handed down the sentence after a jury found Jones-Smith guilty on November 13, 2025.
The case stems from an incident in the early morning of December 28, 2024, when Jones-Smith and another individual fled from police following a shooting in Muskegon Heights. Officers later discovered a stolen pistol near their van, which was loaded with one round partially fed into the chamber and another in the magazine. Investigators also found that Jones-Smith had uploaded a video to Snapchat less than ten hours before the incident showing him with the same firearm.
Further examination of his phone revealed evidence linking both Jones-Smith and his passenger to the Muskegon Heights shooting. At the time of this offense, Jones-Smith was on federal supervised release for a previous conviction related to distributing fentanyl and had been released from custody only sixteen days earlier. Additional videos retrieved from his Snapchat account showed him possessing other firearms while still under Bureau of Prisons custody at a halfway house and shortly after beginning supervised release.
VerHey said, “Jones-Smith got into a shootout a little more than two weeks after being released from prison for his last felony, and after promising to be a law-abiding citizen if he got released into the community. He deserved to get the maximum possible sentence for this conduct, and that is exactly what he got. My office will not tolerate gun violence, especially by convicted felons.”
Muskegon Police Chief Tim Kozal said, “Working daily to put an end to gun violence in the Muskegon area is the top priority of our agency. This sentencing demonstrates our collective commitment to using all available resources to remove dangerous offenders from the streets and improve public safety in our community.”
Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, added: “Violent offenders who choose to carry and use firearms do not just destroy communities, they destroy their own futures by putting themselves on a path that leads straight to prison. Malik Jones-Smith can no longer threaten our neighborhoods thanks to the strong collaboration of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. Together, FBI Detroit will continue to do our part to crush violent crime by stopping offenders who attempt to terrorize our communities.”
The investigation involved cooperation between multiple agencies including the Muskegon Police Department – Muskegon Major Case Initiative, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vito S. Solitro and Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.
