Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Agent, Armed Robbery, and Discharging Firearm

Jabree Johnson Admits to Crimes in Connection with Firearms Trafficking Investigation

NEW JERSEY – Jabree Johnson, a 29-year-old resident of Trenton, admitted in federal court to assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon, committing armed robbery, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp on July 31, 2024, as announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

The charges stem from an incident on March 22, 2021, when federal law enforcement officers were investigating firearms trafficking in Trenton and Hamilton, New Jersey. Johnson, posing as a firearms seller, met with an undercover federal agent to sell multiple firearms. During the transaction, Johnson brandished a loaded firearm, demanded money, and subsequently robbed the agent at gunpoint. Both Johnson and the agent discharged their firearms during the altercation, resulting in Johnson being wounded in the shoulder. He was later apprehended at a local hospital.

Johnson faces significant penalties, including up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for assaulting a federal officer, up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for armed robbery, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum of life imprisonment, for using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Sentencing is set for January 16, 2025.