Memphis, TN – Kokou Sanoumegah, 29, of Memphis, has pled guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and illegal possession of a machinegun. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the guilty plea today.

On April 16, 2025, a private fugitive recovery unit located Sanoumegah, a fugitive with active arrest warrants, in Memphis, Tennessee. According to the evidence, while taking him into custody, they discovered a Glock 17 9mm pistol in Sanoumegah’s waistband and a Diamondback DB-15 AR-style pistol located next to where Sanoumegah had been sitting. The Glock contained a machinegun conversion device (MCD) known as a “switch”, as well as an extended magazine with 39 rounds and 1 round in the chamber. The Diamondback AR-style pistol was found with a drop-in auto sear, designed to convert it to a fully automatic weapon, with 59 rounds in the magazine and 1 round in the chamber. The AR pistol had been reported stolen, and neither firearm contained a proper serial number.

Sanoumegah is a convicted felon after previously pleading guilty to a 2016 armed robbery offense in Desoto County (MS). While in custody for these firearms offenses, Sanoumegah was charged with aggravated assault and possession of contraband in a penal institution for an incident on August 6, 2025, in which it is alleged that he stabbed another inmate in the Shelby County Jail 17 times with a homemade weapon, causing paralysis to the victim. In June 2024, Sanoumegah was charged with possession of a firearm, theft of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and aggravated criminal trespassing; that case was dismissed about a year later due to lack of prosecution, State court records show.

On September 16, 2026, Sanoumegah pled guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and possession of a machinegun. Sanoumegah is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Brian C. Lea on December 16, 2026 and faces a sentence of 144 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Sanoumegah has a demonstrated history of violence, and has no hesitation about repeatedly committing multiple crimes when the risk to human life is high. Now the federal system will accomplish justice by doing what should have been done a long time ago – imposing a real consequence that will justly punish and incapacitate him for at least 12 years.”

This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department (MPD) as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin N. Frizzell, a United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate, and Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department (MPD) as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. Special Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin N. Frizzell, a United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate, and Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.###For more information, please contact our Media Relations Team at USATNW.

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