A Meridian woman has pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of firearm, according to federal authorities. 

Mia Francine Sims, 53, pleaded guilty on Thursday before Senior U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Michelle A. Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, a media release said.

Sims was arrested after Meridian police officers and FBI officials searched her home on Jan. 23, 2020, the release said. Officers found a handgun and drugs during the search, the release said. An investigation revealed that Sims had two prior felony drug convictions and was prohibited from owning a firearm.

Sims will be sentenced on July 29 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials said. 

The case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian.