Southern District of Alabama
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 168 Months’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced on March 2, 2026, by Chief United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock to 168 months in prison for trafficking nearly six kilograms of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2025, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint interdiction operation at the Greyhound bus station located on Government Boulevard, in Mobile, Alabama.
During surveillance deputies observed a man, later identified as Lawson, exit the Greyhound bus terminal carrying a duffle bag. When Lawson observed the presence of law enforcement officers, he went back inside the bus station. Deputies continued surveillance of the Lawson and he soon exited the front doors of the bus station again.
Deputies next observed Lawson walking down Government Boulevard. As a deputy drove towards Lawson, Lawson ran across two lanes of traffic onto the median. Deputies followed Lawson to the median to speak with him. During the conversation Lawson placed the duffle bag and the jacket he was wearing on the ground. One of the deputies next asked Lawson about the smell of marijuana coming from his bags. Lawson stepped toward the duffle bag, as if he was going to grab it, but then took off running instead. After a brief foot pursuit, Lawson was detained.
When deputies opened the duffle bag, they observed six large cellophane wrapped bundles of what appeared to be methamphetamine. A deputy read Lawson Miranda warnings and Lawson agreed to speak with deputies. Lawson stated he was coming from Houston, Texas and that he did not purchase the narcotics for someone else but rather purchased it for himself and paid $21,000 in US currency for it. The six bundles were sent to the DEA Laboratory in Miami, Florida and were found to contain 5,973 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force which in this case included law enforcement officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
In making the announcement, United States Attorney Sean P. Costello stated that the Homeland Security Task Forces represent a new gold standard model in law enforcement which combines the expertise of numerous agencies under one roof to maximize the impact on crime and the safety to the community.
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to 10 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Honduran national was sentenced on March 20, 2026, to 10 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, Mario Ramon Mendoza-Martinez, 26, was arrested by Saraland Police Department on September 23, 2025. Saraland Police had pulled Mendoza-Martinez over for a traffic violation. Mendoza-Martinez was only able to produce a Honduran identification card. Saraland Police requested assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who confirmed that Mendoza-Martinez was not lawfully present in the United States. The Saraland officer then searched Mendoza-Martinez’s vehicle and located a Winchester model 190 .22 caliber rifle and 41 rounds of ammunition. Mendoza-Martinez has a prior conviction out of the Western District of Texas for Illegal Entry.
At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed the 10-month sentence of incarceration and a one year term of supervised release upon his future release. Upon his release from prison, Mendoza-Martinez is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Mendoza-Martinez was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Saraland Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Aliens with Felony Records Sentenced to More than a Year in Prison as Part of Operation Take Back AmericaRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – on March 20, 2026, Jose Abisai Padilla-Galeano, 26, of Honduras, was sentenced in federal court to 15 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported. In a separate case, Pedro Guerrero-Rocha, 27, of Mexico, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the same charge. These cases were prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
According to court documents, on October 11, 2025, Padilla was arrested for possession of cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and DUI by the Foley Police Department. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) responded to the jail and took custody of Padilla upon his release from jail on bond. Padilla had been previously deported from the United States four times. Padilla had been previously convicted of illegal reentry twice. Following Padilla-Galeano’s 15-month sentence in federal prison for his third illegal reentry offense, he was ordered to be transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.
On October 20, 2025, Guerrero was stopped by the Saraland Police Department for a traffic violation. Saraland Police Department requested assistance from the United States Border Patrol (USBP) of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP). USBP responded and determined that Guerrero had been deported from the United States on six prior occasions and arrested him for his illegal presence in the United States. Guerrero had also been previously convicted of Driving while Intoxicated with a Child under 15 years old in violation of Texas state law in 2019 and illegal reentry in 2023. Following his 15-month sentence in federal prison for his second illegal reentry offense, he was ordered to be transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.
Additional defendants were recently prosecuted and charged with illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported as part of Operation Take Back America’s ongoing collaboration between federal agencies with the assistance of state and local law enforcement and sentenced in federal court.
On October 11, 2025, a Gulf Shores Police Department officer responded to the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving Luis Antonio Aguilar-Bedolla, 38, of Mexico. Aguilar was arrested for an outstanding state arrest warrant. ICE/ERO obtained the record of the arrest and determined that Aguilar was a previously deported alien and took custody of him. Aguilar, who had been previously convicted of DUI twice, was convicted in federal court for illegal reentry in federal court and sentenced to time-served. The court ordered that he be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On October 16, 2025, a Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Deputy encountered Nehemias Pelico-Cutz, 39, of Guatemala during a traffic stop. ICE/ERO assisted with the stop and determined that Pelico was a previously deported alien unlawfully in the United States. Pelico had been deported on five occasions. ICE/ERO arrested Pelico, and he was convicted of illegal reentry in federal court. He was sentenced to time-served and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On October 27, 2024, Javier Hernandez-Juarez, 45, of Mexico, was encountered by the Foley Police Department and arrested for DUI, but used an alias. ICE/ERO obtained fingerprint records from the arrest, determined Hernandez’s identity as a previously deported alien, and arrested him for illegal reentry in December 2025. Hernandez was convicted, sentenced to time-served, and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On December 28, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received an anonymous tip from the HSI Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE referenced Tulio Miguel Mendez-Aguriano, 33, of Honduras. Upon receiving the tip, ICE/ERO officials vetted the information and determined that Mendez was illegally in the United States after previously being deported. On December 29, 2025, ICE/ERO arrested Mendez. Mendez was convicted of illegal reentry, sentenced to time-served, and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On December 18, 2025, Jose Jorge Xocua Sandoval, 37, of Mexico, was encountered by an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Trooper during a traffic stop. USBP assisted with the stop and determined that Sandoval had been previously deported from the United States following an arrest for aggravated assault in Florida. Sandoval was convicted of illegal reentry, sentenced to time-served, and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On January 9, 2026, the Silverhill Police Department encountered Jesus Villanueva-Gallegos, 45, of Mexico, during a traffic stop. ICE/ERO assisted with the stop and determined that Villanueva was a previously deported alien following a conviction for attempted aggravated sexual battery in violation of Kansas state law in 2001. Villanueva was convicted of illegal reentry, sentenced to time-served, and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
These defendants had been in custody since their respective arrests on federal charges. All defendants were ordered to pay $100.00 each in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), investigated these cases with the assistance of state and local law enforcement partners, including the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Foley Police Department, Gulf Shores Police Department, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Saraland Police Department, and Silverhill Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
In addition to repelling the invasion of illegal immigration, Operation Take Back America aim includes the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Convicted Rapist Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act by failing to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Russell Lee Stanley, 46, was convicted of Forcible Sexual Intercourse – Rape on October 3, 2011, in Harrison County, Mississippi. He was sentenced to 25 years’ incarceration, with 12 years to serve day-for-day, and the remaining 13 years suspended for five years of post-release supervision. As a result, Stanley was required to register as a sex offender in any county where he resides or works.
Upon release in 2022, Stanley registered in Mississippi. In July 2023, the sex offender coordinator in Mississippi reported Stanley had failed to re-register as required. Warrants were issued for his arrest. The United States Marshals Service was alerted that Stanley may be located in Mobile, Alabama, and that he failed to register as required with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office or Mobile Police Department. An investigation revealed that Stanley had been residing and working in Mobile since May 2023 without complying with SORNA requirements. Stanley was arrested on June 20, 2025.
A five-year term of supervised release will follow the term of imprisonment, during which Stanley will be required to participate in drug, alcohol, mental health and sex offender treatment.
U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama and made the announcement.
The United States Marshals Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Court Sentences Mobile County Woman for Possessing A Firearm as an Eight Time Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL - On February 23, 2026, United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Heather Ashley Stringfellow to 77 months’ imprisonment for Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon.
Court documents show that on August 2, 2024, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant at the Stringfellow’s home in Grand Bay, Alabama, where she was found in bed in the master bedroom. Under that bed, deputies located a Taurus GX4 semi-automatic pistol. Deputies also found a purse belonging to Stringfellow which contained marijuana, Xanax bars, and a baggie containing a small amount of methamphetamine. Stringfellow admitted to deputies that several individuals sold drugs from the home.
During the investigation deputies obtained a screen shot from a cellular telephone in which the defendant was texting with another individual. In the text messages Stringfellow sent a picture of the Taurus firearm and stated: “I bought a pistol.” The picture matched the firearm seized.
Stringfellow also made a recorded phone call from the Metro Jail in which she asked another person to sign an affidavit saying the weapon belonged to her (the other person’s) deceased father. The other person’s deceased father previously owned and lived in the trailer where the defendant was living at the time of the search and the false ploy was to represent that the deceased man left the weapon in the trailer under the box spring.
Stringfellow had been previously convicted of the following eight felonies: Money Laundering, on or about October 16, 2017, in United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama; Possession of a Controlled Substance, on or about April 2, 2013, in the Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama; Identity Theft, on or about April 2, 2013, in the Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama; Obstructing Justice-False Identification, on or about April 2, 2013, in the Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama; Possession of a Forged Instrument, 2nd degree, on or about October 19, 2011, in the Circuit Court for Mobile County, Alabama; Robbery, 2nd Degree, on or about May 11, 2011, in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama; Possession of a Forged Instrument, 2nd Degree, on or about October 5, 2006, in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama; and Theft of Property, First Degree, on or about October 5, 2006, in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Two Fraudsters Sentenced for Stealing Nearly $1,300,000 over Six Months from Monroe County BusinessRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Between 2023 and 2024, two college friends, Dustin Cole Mosley, 40, and Jason Robert Riel, 41, concocted and executed a scheme for them to steal money from Mosley’s employer, the Alabama River Cellulose plant (“ARC”), in Monroe County, Alabama. The United States Attorney charged the pair with a Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, to which they pleaded guilty.
The pair created a shell safety services and supplies business, which billed the ARC for fake safety services and supplies purportedly provided to the ARC. Mosley worked as the ARC’s Safety Manager, and it entrusted him to approve invoices for safety services and supplies provided to the ARC. He approved payment to his friend’s shell company more than 20 times, for a total of nearly $1,300,000, which the pair split. The Court sentenced Mosley to serve 18 months in prison and Riel to one year and one day in prison and ordered them both to pay restitution. Mosley received a harsher sentence based on his violation of a position of trust.
“Financial crimes leave paper trails that we and our investigative partners—here, the FBI—can and do follow. It’s only a matter of time before they are caught. Whatever short-term monetary benefit they received evaporates, replaced by prison time, and repayment of the money they stole.” U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello said. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes businesses to line their own pockets.”
The FBI’s Mobile Division investigated the case. Its Special Agent in Charge, Sara Jones stated, “The FBI is committed to investigating those who exploit the American people for financial gain and seeing through the prosecution of those individuals. These sentences are another example of our collaborative efforts to combat criminal activity in conjunction with our partner agencies. The hard work of our agents and professional staff, along with a dedicated United States Attorney’s Office, assures that these criminals will not go unpunished for their actions.”Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford, IV, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Recidivist Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for a Bulk Methamphetamine-Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Bay Minette man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for taking part in a conspiracy to distribute bulk methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Ladarrius Markeil Fields, 30, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between October 2024 and December 2024. On December 9, 2024, narcotics investigators received information that a bulk methamphetamine deal was going to occur at a truck stop in Whistler. Agents attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Fields’s vehicle near the truck stop, but Fields reversed out of a parking lot and drove away. As he did so, Fields threw a large bag of methamphetamine from his vehicle into a drainage ditch before coming to a stop. Agents arrested Fields and recovered the bag that he discarded, which contained nearly a pound of methamphetamine packaged in five separate baggies.
Agents then interviewed Fields, who admitted that he had bought a pound of methamphetamine from a supplier with whom he had previously served prison time. Fields has several prior convictions for possession and distribution of narcotics and was released from Alabama state prison in mid-2024.
Fields said that on December 8, 2024, he had met his supplier at a gas station near Meaher Avenue in Prichard. Fields said the supplier had accidentally given him the wrong bag, so Fields came to the truck stop to switch out the drugs the next day. Fields said he had been buying bulk methamphetamine from his supplier for roughly two months and had secured one to two pounds of methamphetamine on about 15 separate occasions. At one point during his interview, Fields said, “Y’all caught me bro, red handed.”
In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Steele ordered Fields to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Fields to pay a total of $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from, among others, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Court Sentences Drug Smugglers Caught on the High Seas with over 1,800 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
On January 16, 2026, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced three co-defendants for smuggling approximately 1,828 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean following their prior guilty pleas on the charges. Judge Moorer sentenced Wilson Robert Mero-Castro to 108 months’ imprisonment, Ruben Wilson Mero-Vera to 108 months’ imprisonment, and Gabriel Cruz-Joya to 120 months’ imprisonment for their roles in the drug smuggling. Denny Andres Mero Anchundia was previously sentenced to 235 months’ imprisonment. Co-defendant David Alonzo Uribe-Mendoza remains to be sentenced.
Court documents show that on March 3, 2025, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Kimball detected a vessel that was suspected of smuggling drugs. The vessel was without nationality in international waters, had visible packages onboard, fuel barrels on deck, and three outboard engines.
The Kimball intercepted the drug smuggling vessel, which became compliant following USCG presence. The USCG boarding team confirmed the packages on board were consistent with cocaine. The boarding team then transferred the six individuals onboard and the cocaine back to the Kimball. Once onboard, the boarding team was able to determine the weight of the cocaine was approximately 1,828 kilograms and the six crew members were brought the United States and charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Three Defendants Convicted at Trial Involving Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine and Fentanyl-Trafficking Organization That Used Children as CouriersRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted three defendants for their roles in a multimillion-dollar drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) that distributed bulk cocaine and fentanyl and used children as couriers.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-week trial, Glennie Antonio McGee, 42, and his wife, Echandza Dianca Maxie (“Echandza”), 43, each of Mobile, were members of a lucrative, Mobile-based DTO that distributed hundreds of pounds of cocaine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills between 2017 and 2024. The DTO sourced cocaine from cartel-connected suppliers in Texas and, ultimately, Mexico. The DTO’s fentanyl pills—counterfeited “M30” pills pressed to look like oxycodone—came from various sources in Alabama, Florida, Washington, and other locales. McGee’s sister-in-law, Exavieria Deagnes Maxie (“Exavieria”), 37, also of Mobile, aided the conspiracy by trafficking a firearm and tampering with evidence.
During the trial, the jury reviewed court-authorized wiretap recordings, CCTV videos from a covert camera installed in McGee’s Cadillac Escalade, pole camera and aerial surveillance videos, text messages and other phone data, financial records, tax records, and DNA evidence, among other things. The jury heard evidence that the defendants used their illicit proceeds to travel the world, including trips to exotic locations including France, Greece, the Maldives, Mexico, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
In December 2022, Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agents arrested one of McGee’s cocaine suppliers following a dangerous high-speed chase in midtown Mobile. Agents seized 9.5 kilograms of cartel-sourced cocaine from the supplier, who was scheduled to deliver one kilogram of the cocaine to McGee that same evening. Weeks later, FBI agents executed a search warrant at McGee’s and Echandza’s house in west Mobile. Agents seized a backpack containing cocaine residue from a vehicle that Echandza was driving. They also seized bulk cash, custom jewelry and other proceeds of the defendants’ drug crimes, a money-counting machine, drug ledgers, documents linking the defendants to other members of the DTO, and a Draco AK-47-style pistol from the house. Echandza lied to FBI agents and claimed the pistol belonged to her, but an FBI DNA analyst found McGee’s DNA on the weapon and other evidence showed that one of McGee’s drug couriers had illegally bought the weapon for him because he is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing guns. McGee’s prior felonies include state convictions for shooting into occupied buildings and vehicles, as well as a federal conviction for trafficking crack cocaine. While agents were still on-scene searching the house, Echandza left the residence and traveled to multiple bank branches in Mobile and withdrew $138,000.
In January and February 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) agents obtained multiple recordings of McGee discussing his DTO’s procurement and distribution of hundreds of pounds of cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills. In those recordings, McGee explained how he took his drug profits and laundered them through real estate properties that he and Echandza had acquired, including properties they rented out on Airbnb. On February 17, 2024, agents recorded McGee selling 1,018 fentanyl pills to a cooperating defendant.
In March 2024, HSI agents began a court-authorized wiretap of several cell phones used by McGee. Agents intercepted more than 8,000 calls during three months’ worth of monitoring. The jury reviewed more than 100 recorded calls and videos from the covert CCTV camera installed in McGee’s Escalade. On those calls and videos, agents captured McGee making dozens of drug deals for bulk cocaine and fentanyl pills. Agents also intercepted Echandza brokering a drug deal on McGee’s behalf. In one instance on March 18, 2024, McGee sold a kilogram of cocaine to a customer for $18,000 in the driveway of his mother’s house on Euclid Avenue in Mobile. A pole camera captured a 15-year-old child hand delivering the brick of cocaine to McGee.
On March 30, 2024, agents arrested one of McGee’s drug couriers, Tierra Tocorra Hill, in possession of a kilogram of cocaine, a quarter-kilogram of fake cocaine (boric acid), and a loaded pistol. McGee had unknowingly purchased several kilograms of fake cocaine and instructed Hill to mix the boric acid into real cocaine for resale on the street to recuperate his losses for the bad cocaine deal. Boric acid is a household cleaner and detergent. When McGee learned that Hill had been arrested, he traveled to a stash house on Harvey Court in Mobile. There, as recorded on the wiretap, McGee instructed several young children, including an eight-year-old boy he described as “game,” to remove a backpack that contained bulk cocaine from the house and throw it over a fence. Agents responded to the house and encountered the children, including a three-year-old boy who was wearing the backpack filled with pounds of cocaine. Inside the house, agents found additional bulk cocaine and loaded firearms that McGee was storing there. After the raid, agents intercepted calls in which McGee attempted to coach the children to lie to Alabama Department of Human Resources personnel about the incident.
In June 2024, agents intercepted several calls involving McGee and his Houston, Texas-based suppliers, Eric Anthony Aguilar and Jonathan Maurice Hackworth, arranging a shipment of five kilograms of cocaine to the DTO in Mobile. During a traffic stop in Mobile on June 13, 2024, agents seized $24,000 in bulk cash that McGee had paid Aguilar for a portion of the drugs. Later that same day, agents arrested McGee after he and one of his DTO lieutenants, Antonio Dwone Reed, attempted to flee in a brief high-speed chase. Agents boxed in the vehicle and encountered McGee with three kilograms of cocaine sitting in his lap. McGee then confessed in a videotaped interview that he had been dealing bulk cocaine since 2017 and earned $20,000 per month in profits.
Following McGee’s arrest, agents intercepted Echandza and Exavieria plotting to conceal evidence while operating the bugged Escalade. Specifically, Echandza gave Exavieria, a convicted felon, a shoebox full of custom jewelry and a loaded .380 caliber pistol. Exavieria took the jewelry and gun and stashed them in her apartment in west Mobile. Thereafter, on CCTV recordings, Echandza and Exavieria directed a 15-year-old child to find the gun and toss it from a balcony before agents could enter the apartment. When Echandza’s teenage son tried to instruct the 15-year-old, her nephew, how to remove the clip from the loaded weapon, Echandza stated, “No, tell him don’t do all that. Just drop it off. . . . [H]e ain’t got time to do that. We ain’t got time to coach him.” Exavieria was intercepted admitting that she told her 15-year-old son to toss the gun from the balcony. Agents found the loaded pistol near a softball field behind the apartment. Exavieria then admitted to agents that she had brought the gun to her apartment from McGee’s and Echandza’s house. Exavieria has previously been convicted of a federal methamphetamine-trafficking offense and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The jury convicted McGee of participating in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracies to traffic cocaine and fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, use of minors in drug operations, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a fine of up to $20,000,000. The sentencing will be scheduled after a separate trial before Judge Moorer in March 2026 involving alleged fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. McGee is presumed innocent in that case until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Echandza was convicted of participating in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy, a firearms-trafficking conspiracy, distribution of a firearm to a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Judge Moorer will sentence Echandza after the fraud trial in March 2026, in which she is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Exavieria was convicted of participating in a firearms-trafficking conspiracy and tampering with evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Judge Moorer will sentence Exavieria after the fraud trial in March 2026, in which she is not a defendant.
The jury forfeited several items of property to the United States, including real property, high-end vehicles, custom jewelry worth more than $400,000, and money judgments totaling $500,000. The court forfeited the firearms to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile Police Department, the Prichard Police Department, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are investigating the case. The United States Marshals Service and several local agencies in Houston, Texas are assisting the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and George May are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from, among others, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Time Served in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mexican national was sentenced today to time served in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to court documents, on October 18, 2025, Gulf Shores Police Department (GSPD) responded to a “shots fired” call and determined that Hernandez-Modesto, 38, had discharged a firearm multiple times. Following his arrest, GSPD contacted Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement who determined that Hernandez-Modesto had previously been removed from the United States in 2020.
At sentencing, Judge Dubose imposed the time served sentence of incarceration and a one-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Upon his release from prison, Hernandez-Modesto is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Hernandez-Modesto was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Gulf Shores Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Hutchins III prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Leader of Major Drug-Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Life in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to life in prison for leading a vast drug-trafficking organization responsible for distributing hundreds of pounds of cocaine and pure methamphetamine. Several other members of the organization were also sentenced to serve decades in prison.
According to court documents, Braxton A. Thomas, 38, led an extensive drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) from 2021 to 2024. Thomas’s DTO distributed various drugs, including cocaine and pure methamphetamine, in the Mobile area. Federal agents captured Thomas coordinating with his drug suppliers and other DTO members via court-authorized wiretaps of thousands of phone calls, text messages, and WhatsApp communications. On several occasions in 2023 and 2024, agents also seized large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine from Thomas and his coconspirators.
For example, in March 2024, agents intercepted numerous calls between Thomas and one of his drug suppliers about coordinating a delivery of bulk cocaine from Houston Texas, to Mobile. On March 10, 2024, agents arrested Thomas’s supplier at a truck stop in Mobile after locating more than seven pounds of cocaine concealed behind the dash of the supplier’s semitruck.
Days later, on March 15, 2024, agents intercepted calls indicating that Thomas had traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to ferry a bulk load of methamphetamine back to Mobile. That evening, agents arrested Thomas and several coconspirators who were traveling in a convoy of vehicles on Interstate 65 southbound in Baldwin County, Alabama. During that arrest, agents seized more than 26 pounds of 100% pure methamphetamine and a loaded .40 caliber pistol from a vehicle being driven by one of Thomas’s couriers. Thomas admitted to agents that he regularly obtained kilograms of methamphetamine from a source in Atlanta, which Thomas would then bring back to Mobile to sell with the assistance of several mid-level distributors in his DTO. Thomas said he expected to earn $70,000 in profit from the load seized on March 15, 2024.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy in federal court on March 20, 2025, and the court released him on conditions pending his sentencing. Less than three weeks later, on April 7, 2025, narcotics agents again arrested Thomas in possession of more than eight pounds of pure methamphetamine, more than a pound of cocaine, an illegal pill press, bulk cash, and firearms. Thomas told arresting agents, “Y’all got me, let’s get this over with.”
At Thomas’s sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer reviewed and considered evidence of Thomas’s continued drug dealing while on release conditions. Judge Moorer also emphasized Thomas’s violent criminal history, including his manslaughter conviction for the shooting death of a female victim in Prichard, Alabama in September 2012. In addition to imposing a lifetime prison term, Judge Moorer ordered Thomas to serve a 10-year term of supervised release if he is ever released from custody. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Braxton Thomas and the drug trafficking organization he led are off the streets and in prison for good,” said Sean P. Costello, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Bringing hundreds of pounds of drugs into our community for years, he and his codefendants threatened the safety and security of the Southern District of Alabama. Thanks to the outstanding skill and dedication of our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors, Thomas and his drug trafficking organization have been held justifiably accountable for their numerous crimes. Today, our streets are safer. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue our relentless pursuit of drug dealers in our community.”
“This sentencing effectively dismantles a multi-state drug trafficking organization that pumped hundreds of pounds of highly pure methamphetamine and cocaine into our communities. This is an enforcement success of the highest order,” said Steven L. Hofer, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New Orleans Division. “The DEA, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal, state, and local partners, utilized sophisticated investigative techniques, including court-authorized wiretaps, to methodically map and cripple Thomas’s entire operation. This outcome sends an unequivocal message: the supply chains of poison flowing into our cities will be identified, severed, and those responsible will be brought to justice.”
For their roles in the conspiracy, Judge Moorer also sentenced the following defendants to serve federal prison terms: Lamar Reynolds Nored (180 months); Dennis Carl Hayward, Jr. (240 months); Dawann A. Haseeb (240 months); Claylon Link Fillingim (120 months); William Keith Reed (240 months); and Jose Manuel Lamas, Jr. (57 months). The court ordered each of these defendants to serve supervised release terms upon their release from custody, and forfeited all firearms and a semitruck seized during the investigation to the United States. Other members of Thomas’s DTO, including Larry Jerome Hunter and Tyrone Dansby, will be sentenced at a later date.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from, among others, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Mississippi and Texas Men Sentenced for Machinegun-Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two men from Mississippi and Texas were sentenced for participating in a machinegun-trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, Jothan Lee Shepherd, 36, of Lucedale, Mississippi, and Braxton Allen Hissong, 37, of Austin, Texas, conspired to ship an illegal machinegun across state lines. On June 20, 2024, police in Saraland, Alabama were dispatched to a restaurant regarding a suspicious package addressed to the business. The restaurant’s manager had opened the package, which contained three firearms tightly packed in trash bags and spray foam. The firearms included an illegal, unregistered machinegun. Hissong had sent the package via registered mail from a post office in Lakeway, Texas, and addressed the package to Shepherd at the restaurant in Saraland. Shepherd came to the restaurant asking for the package and left the manager his phone number.
An undercover police detective called Shepherd and told him he could retrieve the package from the post office in Saraland. Shepherd came to the post office, briefly took possession of the package, inspected the outside of the box, and then told an undercover U.S. Postal Inspector that he wanted to refuse the package. Agents then seized Shepherd’s cell phone and searched it pursuant to a warrant. The phone contained several text messages between Shepherd and Hissong negotiating the sale and illicit shipment of the machinegun from Texas to Alabama. Shepherd and Hissong exchanged numerous messages about needing to retrieve the package from the post office in Saraland because it contained both of their names.
A firearms expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) examined and test fired the machinegun that Hissong illegally shipped to Shepherd. The firearm operated as a fully automatic machinegun. Neither Shepherd nor Hissong had registered the machinegun in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law.
United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Shepherd to three months’ imprisonment and Hissong to time served with a $2,000 fine. Judge DuBose ordered Shepherd to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which he must perform 300 hours of community service at Habitat for Humanity. Hissong must also serve a three-year term of supervised release, during which he must perform 300 hours of community service in the housing industry. The court did not impose a fine on Shepherd, but the court ordered the defendants to pay a total of $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Saraland Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Fairhope Felon Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Fairhope man was sentenced to 138 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and violating federal supervised release conditions.
According to court documents, Christopher Lynn Barnwell, 36, sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to confidential informants on four occasions between November 2023 and January 2024. Barnwell was on federal supervised release conditions at the time. On January 22, 2024, in conjunction with the U.S. Probation Office, narcotics agents executed a search warrant at Barnwell’s trailer in Fairhope. Agents seized several baggies containing 188.6 grams of 96% pure methamphetamine and 18.46 grams of fentanyl from a safe to which Barnwell provided access. Barnwell admitted the drugs were his. Agents also found a Ruger 9mm pistol underneath an air vent in the floor of the bedroom nearby the safe containing the drugs.
Barnwell escorted agents to an outside shed, where agents found additional drug paraphernalia and a cutting agent, mannitol, that is commonly used to “cut” methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other powder substances. While agents searched the shed, Barnwell said he knew the repercussions of him being in possession of the pistol found under the vent cover given his multiple prior felony convictions. Barnwell’s prior convictions included several theft and drug-trafficking convictions in both state and federal courts, which rendered his possession of the pistol illegal under federal law.
Agents also seized and searched Barnwell’s cell phone, which contained numerous text messages that he sent regarding drug deals. In one such message, Barnwell told a drug customer that he was at his federal probation officer’s office and would meet up with the customer afterwards. The phone also contained several photos and videos of methamphetamine, cash, and drug paraphernalia.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Barnwell to serve 108 months in prison on the drug and firearms charges, and 30 months consecutively for violating his supervised release, for a total of 138 months in prison. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Moorer ordered Barnwell to serve a ten-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Barnwell to pay a total of $300 in special assessments and forfeited the 9mm pistol to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and various state and local law enforcement partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Repeatedly Convicted Felon Sentenced to Forty Years in Prison and Fined $500,000 Following New Cocaine ConvictionRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Following a trial in September 2025, a federal jury convicted an Arkansas man of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nicholas Ferlando Haynie, 45, of Camden, Arkansas, was a member of a drug trafficking organization based in Mobile, Alabama.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated an investigation into the drug distribution network of John David Clarke of Mobile, leading to a court-authorized wiretap on Clarke’s phone. During the monitoring of Clarke’s calls, agents identified Clarke’s drug supplier, who was charged as a co-defendant in the indictment. Substantial incriminating evidence was obtained from Clarke’s phone communications with his drug supplier who also lived in Mobile. Incriminating evidence was also obtained from several phones belonging to Clarke’s cocaine supplier, which identified several of his other drug distributers, including Haynie. The drug supplier routinely discussed drug amounts, prices and locations where the drugs were delivered for further distribution with his co-conspirator distributers. During the conspiracy, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine sourced from Mexico and through Texas were distributed in Alabama, Arkansas, and elsewhere.
During the conspiracy, hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds were delivered from Mobile to drug suppliers up the chain of distribution in Texas. Evidence obtained from Haynie’s cell phones included pictures of him possessing firearms and posing with bulk cash drug proceeds. Eight guns were also seized from locations where co-conspirators lived in Mobile and Katy, Texas, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Haynie had been previously convicted of multiple felonies, including the manufacture, delivery, and possession of a controlled substance and sexual abuse first degree in violation of Arkansas state law in 2000. Haynie had also been convicted in federal court in Arkansas for the distribution of crack cocaine in 2014. While in federal prison, Haynie was twice convicted of possessing a prohibited object (cell phone). Haynie was released from federal prison in 2021.
United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed the sentence. On December 18, 2025, Haynie was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by an eight-year term of supervised release upon release from prison. Haynie was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
As conditions of his supervision, Haynie will undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion, and required to register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Mobile Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple federal and local partners.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Kopf and Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Previously Deported Aliens Sentenced and Transferred to Immigration Officials for Deportation ProceedingsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – on December 18, 2025 Julio Cesar Chavez-Rizo, 30, of Mexico, was sentenced in federal court for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported. This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
According to court documents, on October 19, 2025, Chavez-Rizo was arrested for disorderly conduct and public intoxication by the Saraland Police Department. The Saraland Police Department requested assistance from the United States Border Patrol (USBP) for immigration records checks. The USBP confirmed Chavez-Rizo had been deported from the United States two times. Chavez-Rizo had been previously convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering a person in violation of Indiana state law in 2021. USBP placed an immigration detainer on Chavez-Rizo. Chavez-Rizo went straight into federal custody upon meeting bond on his state-related charges. Chavez-Rizo was sentenced to time-served in prison since his arrest. Chavez-Rizo had been in custody since his arrest by the Saraland Police Department. Chavez-Rizo was ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon his release from prison.
Additional defendants were recently prosecuted and charged with illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported as part of Operation Take Back America’s ongoing collaboration between federal agencies with the assistance of state and local law enforcement and sentenced in federal court.On December 18, 2025, Marvin Alexander Santos-Carballo, 30, of Honduras, was sentenced for illegal reentry. On October 20, 2025, the Creola Police Department had encountered Santos-Carballo during a traffic stop. The Creola Police Department requested assistance from USBP for records checks. USBP determined that Santos-Carballo was a previously deported alien. USBP responded and arrested Santos-Carballo. Santos-Carballo was sentenced to time-served in prison since his USBP arrest and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon his release.
On September 29, 2025, Ezequiel Vega-Solano, 27, of Mexico, was sentenced for illegal reentry. On August 1, 2025, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) encountered Vega-Solano during a traffic stop. BCSO reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for records confirmation. ICE/ERO confirmed that Vega-Solano was a previously removed alien with prior felony convictions for illegal alien transportation in violation of federal law in 2020. ICE/ERO responded and arrested Vega-Solano for his illegal presence in the United States. Vega-Solano remained in federal custody through his sentencing. Vega-Solano was sentenced to time-served and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
On September 16, 2025, Roberto Ulin-Ajin, 40, of Guatemala, was sentenced for illegal reentry in federal court. According to court documents, Ulin-Ajin was encountered during a worksite enforcement action by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in May 2025. HSI agents determined that Ulin-Ajin had been previously deported and was unlawfully in the United States. Ulin-Ajin had also been previously convicted under an alias name for public intoxication and driving under the influence in violation of Alabama state law. HSI arrested Ulin-Ajin during the worksite enforcement action. Ulin-Ajin remained in federal custody through his sentencing. Ulin-Ajin was sentenced to time-served and ordered to be transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
These defendants had been in custody since their respective arrests on federal charges. All defendants were ordered to pay $100.00 each in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), investigated the cases with the assistance of state and local law enforcement partners, including the Saraland Police Department, Creola Police Department, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
In addition to repelling the invasion of illegal immigration, Operation Take Back America aim includes the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Relentless JusticeRead the Press Release
205 Child Victims Located and 293 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in Nationwide Crackdown, Including Nine in the Southern District of Alabama
December 19, 2025 – The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.
“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes."
“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”
“Together with our law enforcement partners, the United States Attorney’s Office will continue to pursue justice on behalf of victims relentlessly,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Safeguarding children and preventing future harm remain top priorities. Offenders who have violated the law will be held accountable.”
"Operation Relentless Justice is a testament to the seamless collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners who worked tirelessly to bring these individuals to justice,” said FBI Mobile Special Agent in Charge Sara Jones. “By combining our resources and expertise, we are sending a clear message that there is no corner of the world where predators can hide. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to keep our community’s children safe."
Nine offenders were arrested in the Southern District of Alabama, and three have been federally indicted by the Grand Jury.
Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.
As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM. The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.
This effort follows two other successful operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, including three from the Southern District of Alabama, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders.
The FBI's Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD's mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.
These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Louisiana Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Mail Theft, Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Slidell, Louisiana man was sentenced to 72 months in prison for theft of mail, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Rashawn Anthony Robinson-Mills, 25, admitted that between August 2023 and January 2024, he traveled along the Gulf Coast breaking into blue U.S. Postal Service letter boxes and stealing mail. Robinson-Mills broke into multiple boxes at several locations in Alabama and Mississippi. He then fraudulently altered and deposited multiple checks and money orders belonging to mail-theft victims, including but not limited to a church in Mobile, Alabama. In conducting these fraudulent transactions, Robinson-Mills used victims’ identifiers without authorization.
On January 12, 2024, surveillance cameras at the Walmart on U.S. Highway 98 in Daphne, Alabama captured Robinson-Mills using a crowbar to pry open a letter box in front of the store. Later that day, sheriff’s deputies in Harrison County, Mississippi stopped Robinson-Mills on Interstate 10 eastbound and found the crowbar he used to steal mail in the trunk of his vehicle. Agents searched Robinson-Mills’s cell phone, which contained dozens of photos depicting checks and money orders that he had stolen from the mail and fraudulently altered to be made payable to him.
In October 2025, after Robinson-Mills had pleaded guilty in federal court and was awaiting sentencing, police in Pell City, Alabama arrested Robinson-Mills for breaking into multiple vehicles and stealing credit cards while working as an Amazon delivery driver. Robinson-Mills admitted to committing the thefts, which resulted in revocation of his release conditions. At sentencing, the court reviewed evidence that Robinson-Mills used the stolen credit cards to try to purchase a penile girth enhancement at Alabama Men’s Clinic.
In addition to the 72-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Robinson-Mills to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Robinson-Mills to pay $200 in special assessments and $64,434.18 in victim restitution.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, the Mobile Police Department, the Daphne Police Department, the Biloxi Police Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Slidell Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Members of A Local Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Five members of an interstate drug distribution organization were sentenced in federal court during October and December of 2025. Richard Wells, III, 48; Ronald Darnell Phillips, 45; and Demetrius James Lutin, 45 were sentenced on October 9, 2025. John David Clarke, 49, was sentenced on December 4, 2025, and Desmon Demond James, 49, was sentenced on December 11, 2025. All five men are from Mobile. Court documents show that they were indicted as members of a cocaine and heroin trafficking conspiracy that operated from 2016 through April 2025. They entered guilty pleas to the conspiracy charge during the fall of 2024. Phillips, Clarke, and Lutin also pleaded guilty to substantive counts charging possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Clarke pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and wire fraud in a separately charged case. Clarke further pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of prison contraband. James also pled guilty to possession of prison contraband.
Court documents show that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated the investigation into the drug distribution of John David Clarke and eventually obtained a court-authorized wiretap on Clarke’s phone. During the monitoring of Clarke’s calls, agents identified Clarke’s drug supplier, who was charged as a co-defendant. Court documents further show that substantial incriminating evidence was obtained from Clarke’s phone communications with his drug supplier. Evidence obtained from several phones belonging to Clarke’s drug supplier identified other drug distributors including Wells, Phillips, James, and Lutin. They discussed drug amounts, prices and locations where the drugs were delivered for further distribution. During the conspiracy, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and at least three kilograms of heroin, sourced from Mexico, traveled through Texas and were distributed in Mobile and elsewhere. During the conspiracy, hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds were delivered from Mobile to drug suppliers in Texas. Eight guns were also seized from locations in Mobile and Katy, Texas, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Court documents show that Clarke and James were found in possession of prison contraband, identified as cell phones, while awaiting sentencing on their other cases in the custody of the U.S. marshal’s service at a local jail. That investigation established that Clarke had used his contraband cell phone to smuggle fentanyl and other substances into the facility.
Court documents further detail Clarke’s involvement in a separate case charging him and other co-conspirators with fraud. During the monitoring of Clarke’s calls pursuant to the court-authorized wiretap, FBI and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigators discovered a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme carried out by Clarke and others. The scheme involved the submission of hundreds of fraudulent tax returns falsely claiming COVID-related sick family leave credits the 2021 tax year. These fraudulent tax returns were filed on behalf of individuals without full knowledge or consent as to how their means of identification were being utilized and what had been submitted on their behalf. The fraudulent tax returns generated illegitimate tax refunds, which were ultimately split amongst the conspirators, including Clarke. Investigators also determined that Clarke had fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans based on the misrepresentation that he had been engaged in legitimate business activities in the year preceding the COVID pandemic.
United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed the sentences. Clarke was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment in both the drug trafficking and fraud cases, with the sentences to run concurrently. Clarke was ordered to serve a ten-year term of supervised release upon release from prison. Wells was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. Lutin was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a ten-year term of supervised release. Phillips was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a ten-year term of supervised release. James was sentenced to 58 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. As conditions of their supervision, all five defendants will undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and each will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Phillips pay $100 in special assessments; Lutin, and Wells were ordered to pay $200 in special assessments; James was ordered to pay $125 in special assessments; and Clarke was ordered to pay $525 in special assessments and $83,931.70 in restitution to the IRS and Small Business Administration. Judge Moorer further ordered the forfeiture of the property that was seized during the investigation, including cash and numerous weapons.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Kopf and Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Recidivist Fraudster Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Federal Supervised Release ViolationsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Daphne woman was sentenced to 93 months in prison for wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and violation of federal supervised release conditions.
According to court documents, Ramie Renee Freeman, 56, submitted fraudulent documents to a car dealership in Daphne to secure financing for the purchase of a vehicle in March 2025. The fraudulent documents included a forged receipt for nonexistent monthly social security benefits and an altered annulment order from the Circuit Court of Knox County, Tennessee, which claimed that Freeman received monthly alimony payments when she did not. Based on these fraudulent representations, which the dealership transmitted via an interstate wire communication, a financing company in Texas approved an automobile loan and Freeman took possession of the vehicle.
Separately, Freeman admitted that between January and May 2025, she falsely held herself out as an attorney and accepted payments from victims purportedly to assist them with an uncontested divorce. In April 2025, Freeman forged the victims’ signatures and mailed bogus divorce paperwork, along with a check drawn on Freeman’s bank account, to the Baldwin County Courthouse in Bay Minette. When the check bounced, a court employee called Freeman, who lied about being a lawyer. The package that Freeman fraudulently mailed contained the victims’ names, addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers, which the victims had not authorized Freeman to send.
In May 2025, federal agents executed a search warrant at Freeman’s apartment in Daphne. There, agents located the vehicle that Freeman fraudulently purchased and documentation regarding Freeman’s frauds. Freeman told agents that she had resumed her fraud schemes because it is difficult for a person convicted of felony frauds to find legitimate work. At the time of her crimes, Freeman was on federal supervised release for prior fraud convictions in the Southern District of Alabama in 2022. Freeman also has prior federal fraud convictions from the District of New Hampshire in 2009 and 2011, as well as multiple fraud convictions in various New Hampshire state courts.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Freeman to a total of 93 months in prison, consisting of 57 months for the crimes she committed in 2025, followed by an additional 36 months for violating her supervised release conditions. Upon her release from prison, Freeman will serve a three-year term of supervised release, the first six months of which she must serve at a halfway house. While on supervised release, Freeman will be subject to drug testing and will receive mental health treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Freeman to pay $300 in special assessments and $3,800 in victim restitution.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Daphne Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and George May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Office Manager Abused Employer’s Trust and Stole over $1,800,000 over Ten YearsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile woman employed as a manager by a pair of related Mobile-based companies for about 20 years was sentenced today to a total of 75 months in prison for defrauding her employer of over $1,800,000, from their bank accounts. To accomplish her scheme, she misused a company’s officer’s signature stamp to write herself checks and electronically transferred money to her bank accounts.
According to court documents, the company Controller discovered that Kelley James Williamson, 47, had written unauthorized checks to herself for about $222,000. That triggered an internal investigation which revealed Williamson’s scheme began in early 2014 and continued until November 2024. The internal investigation also revealed a much larger loss. The employer’s lawyer contacted the Secret Service to report her crimes after she confessed to him. The Secret Service, in addition to its protective details work, investigates financial crimes. Its investigation - in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office - uncovered the full expanse of her crimes and losses suffered by the businesses. Before the U.S. Attorney charged Williamson, it seized over $79,000 from Williamson’s bank accounts to preserve it as Williamson had spent lavishly leading up to Mardi Gras 2025 as the queen of a local carnival organization. It also seized her crown, estimated to be worth $2,000 or more, which will be forfeited and sold. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will apply for the funds to be restored to the businesses to offset their losses. The court ordered that Williamson must repay the businesses the remainder of the loss as restitution.
“Financial crimes can and do devastate businesses and the families which own them. Unfortunately, this defendant chose to betray the businesses’ trust they’d placed in her, which is a gut punch to the people who worked side-by-side with her and trusted her all those years,” U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello said. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes businesses to line their own pockets.”
“Ms. Williamson took advantage of her employer’s trust, stealing more than $1 million from a business here in the Mobile community,” said Resident Agent in Charge Jennifer Nissen, U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office. “The U.S. Secret Service does not tolerate those who exploit our financial systems, and we appreciate our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama as they worked tirelessly to bring the defendant to justice.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Mobile Resident Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford, IV, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Foley Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of A Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Kaden Heard, age 31, was sentenced on December 12, 2025, to 121 months in prison for convictions related to the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Heard entered his guilty pleas on September 19, 2025.
According to court documents, Heard was active on a social media application when he began chatting with an individual that he believed to be a 13-year-old female in Phoenix. Heard expressed a desire to travel to Arizona to engage in sexual activity with the 13-year-old and sent explicit photographs of himself to this individual. Heard discussed bringing alcohol, drugs, condoms, and a “secret” phone to their meeting. A search was conducted of Heard’s social media accounts, and investigators found thousands of chats during which Heard was actively seeking images of child pornography. Heard’s cell phone was seized and found to contain hundreds of images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors. Heard was interviewed and made a full confession.
At sentencing, United States District Judge Kristi DuBose imposed a 121-month term of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon Heard’s future release. Heard will be subject to sex offender treatment and mental health treatment while imprisoned. Heard will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Smith was ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to the victim of his offenses and $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Phoenix and Mobile Divisions, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Time Served in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Honduran national was sentenced today to time served in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to court documents, Jhostin Nunez-Murcia, 36, was the driver of a vehicle stopped by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on September 12, 2025, for a traffic violation. Mobile County deputies suspected that Nunez-Murcia was not a United States citizen, so they contacted law enforcement personnel with U.S. Border Patrol. A Border Patrol agent was able to determine that Nunez-Murcia had previously been removed from the United States in 2012.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed a time-served sentence of incarceration and a one-year term of supervised release upon his release. Upon his release from prison, Nunez-Murcia is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Nunez-Murcia was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Drug Smuggler Caught on the High Seas with 1,828 Kilograms of Cocaine to 235 Months’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
On December 4, 2025, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Denny Andres Mero Anchundia, an Ecuadorian national, to 235 months’ imprisonment for smuggling approximately 1,828 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean following his guilty plea on the charges.
Court documents show that on March 3, 2025, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Kimball detected a vessel that was suspected of smuggling drugs. The vessel was without nationality, in international waters, had visible packages onboard, fuel barrels on deck, and three outboard engines.
The Kimball intercepted the drug smuggling vessel which complied with USCG directions. Once dead in the water, the USCG boarding team came alongside and gained positive control of the drug smugglers. The boarding team confirmed the packages were consistent with cocaine and determined the vessel was without nationality. The boarding team then transferred the six persons onboard, including Anchundia, and the cocaine back to the Kimball. Once onboard, the boarding team was determined the weight of the cocaine as approximately 1,828 kilograms. The drug smuggling vessel was sunk due to being a hazard to navigation. The six crew members were brought the United States and charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as a part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Baldwin County Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Logan Smith, 38, was sentenced on December 1, 2025, to 30 years in prison for convictions related to the sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography. Smith entered his guilty pleas on June 24, 2025.
According to court documents, Smith first came to law enforcement attention following a report that he had been distributing child pornography via the internet. Further investigation revealed that he had been communicating with a minor victim living out of state over a period of months. Smith exploited the minor on social media platforms where he repeatedly directed her to record sexually explicit conduct and send those videos and images to him. Smith communicated with the minor about his plans to travel to meet her in person and to engage in sexual contact with her. Additionally, two mobile devices belonging to Smith contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
At sentencing, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock imposed a 360-month term of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon Smith’s future release. Smith will be subject to sex offender treatment and mental health treatment while imprisoned. Smith will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Smith was ordered to pay $7,220 in restitution to the victim of his offenses and $400 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Stepan and Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.
Armed Drug Dealers Sentenced to Decades in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two Grand Bay men were sentenced to 20 years and 12 years in prison, respectively, for engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of drug crimes.
According to court documents, Demetrius Dwayne Powell, 33, and Diricka Tyrese McCants, 41, were arrested by narcotics agents on July 30, 2024. That day, agents went to a property in Grand Bay to arrest Powell, who had a pending arrest warrant for a robbery charge. When agents arrived, they encountered Powell and McCants coming out of a shed on the property. McCants, who was on federal supervised release for a prior felony drug-trafficking conviction, told the agents, “Once y’all go in there, I’m gone.”
Inside the shed, agents located and seized, among other things, nearly two pounds of 100% pure methamphetamine, smaller amounts of crack and powder cocaine, opened vacuum-sealed bags containing small amounts of marijuana, digital scales, drug packaging materials, and three loaded firearms. After their arrest, Powell and McCants exchanged recorded jail calls in which Powell encouraged McCants to take the rap for the drugs due to Powell’s violent criminal history, which includes convictions for a stabbing assault and felony domestic violence by strangulation. Powell also scolded McCants for not listening to him when he previously suggested that law enforcement had been surveilling the shed in Grand Bay.
Agents searched the contents of cell phones seized from Powell and McCants. The cell phones contained numerous text messages, photos, and videos about the defendants’ drug transactions and illegal possession of firearms between January and July 2024.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Powell and McCants to serve 240 months and 144 months in prison, respectively. Upon their release from prison, Powell and McCants will each serve 10-year terms of supervised release, during which time they will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered the defendants to pay a total of $300 in special assessments and forfeited their firearms to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration substantially assisted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Armed Baldwin County Methamphetamine Dealers Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two Baldwin County men were sentenced in late October 2025 to serve 235 months and 60 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and illegally possessing firearms as convicted felons.
According to court documents, Boniface Denton Buchanan, 56, and Samuel Earl Crook, Jr., 43, each of Bay Minette, admitted to distributing bulk amounts of methamphetamine to various individuals in north Baldwin County between May 2023 and November 2023. On multiple occasions, narcotics agents used confidential informants to purchase methamphetamine from Buchanan and Crook. Based on these controlled purchases of drugs and other evidence, agents obtained federal warrants to search Buchanan’s and Crook’s residences in Bay Minette.
On November 8, 2023, agents executed the search warrants. When agents encountered Buchanan at his home, he attempted to flee and agents had to wrestle him to the ground. Agents searched Buchanan’s house and found methamphetamine and a loaded shotgun. Buchanan admitted that he had multiple prior felony convictions that made his possession of the shotgun illegal under federal law. When agents tried to interview Buchanan, he responded, “I’ll do my time.” Agents seized and searched Buchanan’s cell phone, which contained numerous text messages and other evidence regarding his drug trafficking.
That same day, agents searched Crook’s residence. Crook admitted to agents that he had methamphetamine, MDMA, and blue “Roxy” pills in his trailer, which agents recovered. Crook further admitted that he had sold several pounds of methamphetamine with Buchanan. While searching Crook’s trailer, agents found a 9mm pistol in his bedroom. In Crook’s truck, agents also found more than $33,000 in cash and a loaded shotgun. Crook admitted that the cash was drug proceeds. He also admitted that he had prior felony convictions and was not allowed to possess guns.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Buchanan and Crook to serve 235 months and 60 months in prison, respectively. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Moorer ordered Buchanan and Crook each to serve five-year terms of supervised release upon their release from prison, during which time they will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered the defendants to pay a total of $400 in special assessments. The court also forfeited the defendants’ guns and cash to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and various state and local law enforcement partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Court Sentences Mobile County Man to 14 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On December 1, 2025, United States District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Charlie Alexander Hall to 168 months’ imprisonment for Conspiracy to Traffic Methamphetamine after Hall agreed to sell undercover agents approximately 8.5 ounces of methamphetamine for $2000 in May 2024.
Court documents show that law enforcement surveilled Hall at his home in Semmes, Alabama, where he placed a 5-gallon bucket containing the methamphetamine he was planning to sell in his vehicle. Surveillance continued after Hall left his residence with the methamphetamine. Officers attempted to stop Hall for a traffic infraction, and he accelerated, driving through a residential area at speeds greater than 100 MPH. Hall threw the 5-gallon bucket containing the methamphetamine out of his car and the bucket opened, spreading the methamphetamine across the road.
The chase continued at speeds over 100 MPH until Hall stopped and was apprehended with the assistance of a canine. Law enforcement recovered the bucket and approximately 1,275 grams of methamphetamine from the roadway. The same day, law enforcement also executed a search warrant at Hall’s home and recovered approximately 1 more kilogram of methamphetamine in a similar 5-gallon bucket behind the home.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mobile County Sherriff’s Office - Narcotics Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to Time Served in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Honduran national was sentenced today to four months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to court documents, Rigoberto Rubi-Guevara, 38, was an occupant of a vehicle stopped by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on September 12, 2025, for a traffic violation. Mobile County deputies suspected that Rubi-Guevara was not a United States citizen, so they contacted law enforcement personnel with U.S. Border Patrol. A Border Patrol agent was able to determine that Rubi-Guevara had previously been removed from the United States in 2011.
At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock imposed a time-served sentence of incarceration and a one-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Upon his release from prison, Rubi-Guevara is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Rubi-Guevara was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Hutchins III prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Jamaican Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Defrauding Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Xavian Brown, a Jamaican-born man living in Baldwin County, Alabama, was sentenced today to 10 years’ imprisonment for defrauding elderly victims using a Publishers’ Clearing House scheme.
According to court documents, Brown and his co-defendants targeted over 130 individuals across the United States by notifying them that they had either won the lottery or the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, but in order to obtain their winnings, the targets would have to pay taxes in advance. Testimony at sentencing showed that many of the victims liquidated their life savings and suffered substantial financial harm because of the fraud.
United States District Judge Kristi DuBose sentenced Brown to serve 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The Court set a hearing in early December to determine the amount of restitution Brown will owe his victims.
Brown’s co-defendant, Romario Nembhard, was previously sentenced to serve one year and a day in prison followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $441,281.21 in restitution. Jermaine Smith was also sentenced today to serve one year and a day in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $447,591.21 in restitution. Co-defendant Britney James, who has been in custody since February 2025, was sentenced to time-served, followed by three years of supervised release, and was also ordered to pay $447,591.21 in restitution. The remaining co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in December 2025.
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Exploiting Americans through this type of scheme is a cruel and calculated crime, aimed at a vulnerable community. Protecting Americans from financial exploitation is one of our top priorities. This sentence demonstrates that those who abuse trust for personal gain will be held accountable.”
“The FBI is committed to investigating those who exploit the American people for financial gain and seeing through the prosecution of those individuals” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sara Jones. “The hard work of our agents and professional staff, along with a dedicated United States Attorney’s Office, assures that these criminals will not go unpunished for their actions. Today’s sentence is another example of our collective efforts to combat criminal activity in the Gulf Coast Region in conjunction with our partner agencies.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Mobile Division. Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Foley Police Department, and the Gulf Shores Police Department also provided support.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasee Heisterhagen and Mike Anderson prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
For more information about elder fraud scams, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/elder-fraud.
Wilmer Man Sentenced to 168 Months in Prison for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Wilmer man was sentenced to 168 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on April 21, 2025, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting on Trace Lane in Wilmer, Alabama. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a 17-year-old deceased male with apparent gunshot wounds. Witnesses identified, and the investigation confirmed, Jason Paul Covington, 43, as the shooter. Following the shooting, Covington hid the firearm under a nearby shed and fled the scene. Deputies recovered the firearm, a Winchester Model 1200, 12-gauge shotgun. Covington has a prior felony conviction for Escape. As a convicted felon, Covington is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Covington was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Covington to 168 months in prison to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Terrill and Jimmy L. Thomas prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Ukranian National Sentenced to 7 Months for Human Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Taras Kosmirak, age 35, was sentenced on October 9, 2025, for Transportation of an Individual to Engage in Prostitution.
According to court documents, a Soviet-born Russian citizen provided law enforcement with information that she was aware of an individual who manages a human trafficking organization in Brooklyn, New York. During her work with law enforcement, the Russian citizen began communicating with this person to see if they would employ her to work as a sex worker for her. The individual in New York agreed that the Russian could come work for her as a commercial sex worker. The individual in New York arranged for Kosmirak to come and pick up the Russian citizen and bring her to New York. The Russian citizen then began communicating directly with Kosmirak. He explained travel information and coordinated a pick-up location. On March 14, 2025, Kosmirak arrived at the pick-up location in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Law enforcement officers apprehended Kosmirak at the pick-up location.
Kosmirak has been in custody since March 14, 2025. Judge Moorer imposed a time-served sentence. Kosmirak will be placed on a 5-year term of supervised release after incarceration, will be required to register as a sex offender, and will be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations, Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years for Possession of Ai-Generated Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – James Eugene Dees, age 52, was sentenced on October 2, 2025, to 20 years in prison for Possession of Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children and Penalties for Registered Sex Offenders.
According to court documents, Dees had been convicted in Mobile County of a child pornography offense in 2022. As a result of that conviction, he was ordered to a term of probation and required to register as a sex offender. During the pendency of his probation, his probation officer became suspicious that Dees was violating the terms of his probation. A search warrant was executed, and Dees was found to be hiding in a home where he was prohibited from residing. He had in his possession a cell phone. The phone was searched and found to contain images of child pornography and images of computer-generated child pornography. Dees entered a guilty plea to the charges of Possession of Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children and Penalties for Registered Sex Offenders on June 12, 2025.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose sentenced Dees to 20 years in prison. Once released, Dees will be placed on a supervised release for the rest of his life. Dees is prohibited from possessing internet capable devices. He is also ordered to have no contact with minors. Dees will be required to register as a sex offender. He was ordered to pay $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/.
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Prichard Drug Dealer Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A resident of Prichard, Alabama, was sentenced in federal court on two counts of possession with intent to distribute MDMB-4en-PINACA, a schedule I controlled substance, commonly referred to as Ecstasy, and possession of a machine gun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.” A machine gun conversion device is a device which renders a firearm capable of firing multiple rounds of ammunition by a single function of the trigger without manual reloading. Possession of such a device is a federal crime. LilChrosin Paul Mauldin, IV, 31, pled guilty to these two federal charges in July of 2025.
Court documents show that Mauldin sold the controlled substance to a confidential informant and represented that it was Fentanyl. The informant also asked Mauldin whether he could help obtain a weapon. Mauldin told the informant that he had previously possessed a “box” of them but could find one for the informant. Mauldin subsequently contacted the informant to say that he had obtained a switch that he could sell to the informant.
On October 31, 2025, United States District Court Judge Kristi Dubose imposed a 151-month sentence for the drug count and a 120-month sentence on the machine gun conversion device count and ordered that the sentences run concurrently. The judge further ordered that Mauldin serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of Mauldin’s supervision, he will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Mauldin pay $200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 30 Months for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On November 7, 2025, a Mobile man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
According to court documents, Anthony Maurice Parker, 29, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment at the Bureau of Prisons with 3 years of supervised release to follow. On June 3, 2025, officers with the Bay Minette Police Department encountered Parker’s vehicle stopped in the roadway, running and in drive, with Parker asleep behind the wheel. Parker was in possession of a firearm despite being a prohibited person due to prior convictions for Robbery 1st and Certain Persons Forbidden to Possess a Firearm out of Mobile County. As part of his sentence, Parker was also ordered to be imprisoned at an institution where a substance abuse treatment program is available.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with the Bay Minette Police Department, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mobile Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – In late October 2025, a Mobile man was sentenced to 48 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, Lorenzo Robert Warren, 41, was arrested by Mobile Police Department narcotics investigators during the execution of a search warrant at a house in Mobile on April 4, 2023. When officers arrived to execute the warrant, they found Warren in the backyard area of the house. Agents searched Warren’s pickup truck, which was parked nearby the house. Agents found a loaded and stolen 9mm pistol lying on the front seat of Warren’s truck. In an ashtray of the truck near the pistol, agents also located and seized a baggie containing crack cocaine. At the time Warren possessed the pistol, he previously had been convicted of several felony drug-distribution crimes. Warren’s convictions rendered his possession of the pistol illegal under federal law.
In addition to the 48-month prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Warren to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Warren to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mobile Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced in late October 2025 to 27 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on April 19, 2025, a Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for an expired license plate. After the vehicle came to a stop the driver, later identified as Teague, exited the vehicle. The Deputy instructed Teague to return to his vehicle, but he ignored the commands. Teague was detained and the Deputy conducted a cursory search of Teague for officer safety and discovered a firearm inside of his waistband. Following his arrest, a search of the vehicle revealed 429 various rounds of ammunition. Teague has several prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Teague was ordered to a 3-year supervised release term upon release from incarceration and must pay a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mobile Man Sentenced to 10 Years for RobberyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced on October 29, 2025, to 120 months in prison for robbery of a convenience store.
According to court documents, Andre` Lionel Nettles, 40, robbed a Mobile area Circle K store of cigarettes on March 28, 2024. He was wearing a black jacket, black face mask, and pointed a gun at the clerk. The robbery was captured on store surveillance. While stealing the cigarettes, Nettles broke a plexiglass case, leaving blood and fingerprints on the scene. Forensic analysis of the fingerprints and DNA matched Nettles.
After serving 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons, Nettles will be placed on a supervised release term of three years. He was also ordered to pay restitution and fines.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms along with Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George May and Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 10 Years for RobberyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced on October 29, 2025, to 120 months in prison for robbery of a convenience store.
According to court documents, Andre` Lionel Nettles, 40, robbed a Mobile area Circle K store of cigarettes on March 28, 2024. He was wearing a black jacket, black face mask, and pointed a gun at the clerk. The robbery was captured on store surveillance. While stealing the cigarettes, Nettles broke a plexiglass case, leaving blood and fingerprints on the scene. Forensic analysis of the fingerprints and DNA matched Nettles.
After serving 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons, Nettles will be placed on a supervised release term of three years. He was also ordered to pay restitution and fines.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms along with Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George May and Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL –A Mexican national was sentenced on October 31, 2025, for illegally re-entering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
According to court documents, Eric Vasquez-Gomez, 24, of Mexico was found to have illegally reentered the United States after prior removal.
Vasquez-Gomez was sentenced by a District Court Judge to the time he’s served since his arrest on September 8, 2025. After the sentence was announced, the Judge ordered that Vasquez-Gomez be delivered to a duly authorized immigration official for deportation consideration.
U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Marengo County Men Sentenced to Prison for Wire Fraud Conspiracy Involving Theft of More Than $1.2 Million in Building MaterialsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Two Marengo County men were sentenced to 27 months and 13 months in prison for their roles in a wire fraud conspiracy involving theft of building materials worth more than $1.2 million.
According to court documents, Bryan Keith Gracie, 40, of Demopolis, and Ellis Tyrone Miller, 35, of Dixons Mills, conspired with one another to steal building materials from a company in Thomasville between June 2021 and March 2022. To carry out the conspiracy, Gracie and Miller coordinated to provide unique delivery and shipment numbers for legitimate orders, intended for the victim company’s customers, to individuals who were not authorized to accept the shipments. Thereafter, Gracie and Miller made false entries and reversals of information into the victim company’s database, which communicated with servers outside of Alabama. Gracie and Miller also signed fraudulent bills of lading for shipments of stolen building materials to unauthorized third‑party trucking companies.
Federal agents obtained numerous incriminating text messages between Gracie, a former employee of the victim company, and Miller, who worked at the company in a position of trust. For example, in November 2021, Miller instructed Gracie, “Wear hard hat and act like u signing in but don’t put nothing down please deliver the message.” In December 2021, Miller warned Gracie that an employee of the victim company had “been watching the cameras” and suggested that they should “chill for a minute.” Later, in February 2022, Gracie and Miller texted each other about what each was owed for illicit sales of stolen building products. During the conspiracy, Gracie and Miller facilitated at least 54 shipments of stolen products from the victim company to unauthorized third parties. The value of the stolen materials was at least $1,213,524.16.
U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Gracie to 27 months in prison. Upon his release from prison, Gracie will serve a three-year term of supervised release, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions and will be prohibited from being on or around the victim company’s property. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Gracie to pay $100 in special assessments and $1,213,524.16 in victim restitution, jointly and severally with Miller.
For his role in the scheme, Ellis was sentenced to 13 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock. Upon his release from prison, Miller will serve a three-year term of supervised release, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Miller to pay $100 in special assessments and $1,213,524.16 in victim restitution, jointly and severally with Gracie.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Thomasville Police Department, and the Montgomery Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Zachary Norris, age 35, was sentenced on October 14, 2025, to 262 months in prison for Distribution of Child Pornography and Access with Intent to View Child Pornography.
According to court documents, a social media platform reported that an account associated with Norris contained child pornography. Investigators obtained the content of that account and discovered multiple instances of Norris chatting with users about his attraction to children and conversations during which Norris would send videos of child pornography to other users. A search warrant was executed at Norris’s residence and his cell phone was seized and examined. Investigators found over 90 images and videos of child pornography, including a photo where it appeared an image of adult pornography had been altered so that a child’s face had been superimposed over the adult’s face.
Norris will be placed on a 15-year term of supervised release after incarceration and is prohibited from possessing internet capable devices. He is also ordered to have no contact with minors. Norris will be required to register as a sex offender. Norris was ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution to the victims of his offense.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Five-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL –A resident of Robertsdale, Alabama, was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment on October 31, 2025, for his second federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm. Albert Emil Tillman, 46, pleaded guilty to his two new federal charges, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Felon in Possession of Ammunition in July of 2025. According to court documents, Tillman had been previously convicted in state court for Robbery First Degree in 2000 and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance in 2009. Most recently, he was convicted for Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm in federal court in 2013.
Court documents show that Tillman was on supervised release from his prior federal convictions when his probation officer received information that Tillman was distributing methamphetamine in the Atmore, Alabama, area. Officers obtained a search warrant for Tillman’s motel room in Atmore and incriminating evidence was discovered in the room, including digital scales and smoking devices used to consume methamphetamine. The officers also discovered a shotgun and shotgun ammunition in the room. Tillman was arrested outside the room in his truck, where numerous additional rounds of shotgun and rifle ammunition were seized. Tillman was indicted for the two new counts, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Felon in Possession of Ammunition, as a result of this investigation.
United States District Court Judge Kristi Dubose imposed a 28-month sentence in Tillman’s cases and ordered that the sentences run concurrently. The judge further ordered that Tillman serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of Tillman’s supervision, he will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse and will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the Judge ordered that Tillman pay $200 in special assessments. Judge Dubose also ordered the forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition that Tillman illegally possessed.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Felon Sentenced to Prison for 41 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Domestic IncidentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced in late October 2025 to serve 41 months in prison for possessing a firearm after a felony conviction.
According to court documents, Marcus Leon Sanders Jr., has five prior felony convictions which prohibits him from possessing a firearm. On October 6, 2024, Mobile Police Department (MPD) responded to a domestic incident. Witnesses reporting hearing a loud dispute. Upon officers’ arrival, Sanders was slashing the tires of a truck belonging to an intimate partner. When he was taken into custody, a loaded pistol was found in his pocket.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms along with Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Court Sentences Ecuadorian Drug Smuggler Caught on the High Seas with Approximately 1,092 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
On October 22, 2025, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Walter Alejandro Hedrera, an Ecuadorian national, to 108 months’ imprisonment for smuggling 1,092 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean following his prior guilty plea on the charges.
Court documents show that on September 24, 2024, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter MUNRO located a drug smuggling vessel operating in international waters, approximately 160 nautical miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. The vessel displayed no indicia of nationality, was operating northbound at a high rate of speed in a known drug trafficking area with visible suspect packages on deck. The U.S.C.G. helicopter fired warning shots which were ineffective in stopping the vessel. The helicopter then used disabling fire and shot out the engines to stop the smuggling boat. The MUNRO helicopter then observed and recorded video of the drugs smugglers jettisoning packages in the ocean while the boat was disabled.
During a later boarding of the vessel, U.S.C.G. personnel recovered 24 bales from the water surrounding the vessel which yielded an at-sea weight of approximately 1,092 kilograms of cocaine.
Herera and four other smugglers were taken into custody and brought to the United States for prosecution under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. The vessel was deemed a danger to navigation due to no suitable tow points and its distance from land. Consequently, the vessel was sunk upon completion of law enforcement activities.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Atlanta Man Convicted at Trial for Trafficking Thousands of Methamphetamine Pills and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – In October 2025 a federal jury convicted an Atlanta, Georgia, man for engaging in a yearslong methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a weeklong trial, Kenyatta Lee Frazier, 44, manufactured and distributed tens of thousands of pressed methamphetamine pills throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi between September 2022 and August 2024. The jury reviewed numerous photos and videos of the pills that Frazier took with his cell phones after manufacturing them with an illegal pill press machine. Frazier marketed and sold the pills as “ecstasy” to his various customers.
In April 2023, agents arrested Frazier and a coconspirator during a traffic stop in Mobile after they had delivered 2,000 pressed methamphetamine pills to a customer in Mississippi. A court-authorized CCTV recording device installed in the truck in which Frazier was a passenger captured Frazier discussing drug deals, illicit profits, and the quality of his so-called “ecstasy” pills with coconspirators. When agents searched the truck, they found a loaded .380 caliber pistol that Frazier had concealed behind the plastic molding in the floorboard area near where he had been sitting. The pistol had previously been reported stolen out of Pinellas County, Florida.
The jury reviewed text messages in which Frazier had shared photos of the same pistol in an effort to sell it, as well as a recorded jail call in which Frazier admitted that he “stuffed” the pistol so that police would not find it. At the time Frazier illegally possessed the pistol, he previously had been convicted of at least eight felonies, including robbery, aggravated assault, firearms offenses, thefts, and drug crimes.
Frazier’s convictions carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years to life in prison. He will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock in February 2026.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and George May are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Mobile Man Sentenced to 18 months for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
According to court documents, on August 18, 2024, Mobile Police Department responded to a local hotel in reference to a shooting. Reginald Thompson, 50, fired rounds into the wall in the bathroom area, claiming someone was breaking in. Surveillance footage showed that no one was near the room Thompson was occupying prior to law enforcement’s arrival. Thompson admitted to possessing the firearm. Thompson has several prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Thompson was ordered to a 3-year supervised release term upon release from incarceration and must pay a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for Production of Child Pornography and Attempted Enticement of a Child.
According to court documents, throughout 2024, Jason Jones, 46, would pose as an attractive teenage boy on various online applications such as Snap Chat and manipulate young girls to produce and send pornographic images to him. Jones communicated with two minor victims, ages 11 and 13. Jones also distributed items of child pornography and obscene material through internet-based applications to underage girls to entice them to engage in sexually explicit conduct. After a search warrant, child pornography was found on three of Jones’ devices.
Jones will be placed on a 15-year term of supervised release after incarceration and is prohibited from possessing internet capable devices. He is also ordered to have no contact with minors. Jones will be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources
Illegal Immigrant Sentenced to 8 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Honduran national was sentenced today to 8 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to court documents, Oscar Guillen Orellana, 60, was arrested by Foley Police Department on March 13, 2025, for domestic violence offenses. At that time, his identity was confirmed and Homeland Security was able to determine that Guillen Orellana had previously been convicted of Armed Robbery in Georgia and Illegal Reentry in both the Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama. He was most recently sentenced on September 21, 2020, to 41 months in prison in the Southern District of Alabama for the crime of Illegal Reentry. He was then deported on November 11, 2022. He was found back in the United States on March 13, 2025, when he was arrested for domestic violence. Guillen Orellana has been removed from the United States three times and been convicted of Illegal Reentry three times.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Beaverstock imposed the 8-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release to follow his imprisonment. Upon his release from prison, Guillen Orellana is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Guillen Orellana was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
Guillen Orellana also admitted that he had violated the terms of his supervised release for the 2020 conviction and was sentenced to 8 months’ incarceration for that violation, to be served concurrently to the term of incarceration in the pending matter.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and Foley Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Seven-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL –A resident of Irvington, Alabama, was sentenced on his third felony conviction in federal court this morning to 15 years imprisonment. Voeruth Meas, 40, was sentenced on his two most recent federal charges, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, this morning. According to court documents, Meas’ first conviction in federal court was for two separate charges, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and knowing possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. On November 6, 2006, Means was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. After Meas was released from prison but while he was under supervised release, he was arrested again on three additional charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Drug User in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number. Meas was pled guilty to those three charges and was sentenced on April 13, 2015, to 70 months imprisonment, consecutive to an 8-month sentence for the violation of his supervised release conditions. Additional supervised release was imposed to follow the total prison sentence of 78 months. Meas was released again to supervision on April 5, 2021.
On August 11, 2021, an arrest warrant issued for Meas’ failure to comply with the terms of his supervision. When he was arrested on that warrant, October 19, 2021, U.S. deputy marshals found him in possession of a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, along with methamphetamine ice, marijuana, cocaine and a meth pipe. Meas was arrested the last time on July 25, 2024, after an investigation by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office revealed that he had been selling methamphetamine in the parking lot of a motel on West I-65 Service Road in Mobile. Deputies followed him as he drove away from that location and stopped his vehicle. They found methamphetamine ice in the vehicle. Meas was advised of his constitutional rights and admitted he was responsible for the distribution of approximately 168 grams of methamphetamine ice. Meas pled guilty to the last two charges, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in May of 2025.
United States District Court Judge Kristi Dubose imposed the 15-year sentence in Meas’ case and further ordered that Meas serve ten years on supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of Meas’ supervision, he will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Meas pay $200 in special assessments. Judge Dubose also ordered the forfeiture of the firearm Meas illegally possessed in 2021.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Seven-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL –A resident of Irvington, Alabama, was sentenced on his third felony conviction in federal court this morning to 15 years imprisonment. Voeruth Meas, 40, was sentenced on his two most recent federal charges, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, this morning. According to court documents, Meas’ first conviction in federal court was for two separate charges, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and knowing possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. On November 6, 2006, Means was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. After Meas was released from prison but while he was under supervised release, he was arrested again on three additional charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Drug User in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number. Meas was pled guilty to those three charges and was sentenced on April 13, 2015, to 70 months imprisonment, consecutive to an 8-month sentence for the violation of his supervised release conditions. Additional supervised release was imposed to follow the total prison sentence of 78 months. Meas was released again to supervision on April 5, 2021.
On August 11, 2021, an arrest warrant issued for Meas’ failure to comply with the terms of his supervision. When he was arrested on that warrant, October 19, 2021, U.S. deputy marshals found him in possession of a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, along with methamphetamine ice, marijuana, cocaine and a meth pipe. Meas was arrested the last time on July 25, 2024, after an investigation by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office revealed that he had been selling methamphetamine in the parking lot of a motel on West I-65 Service Road in Mobile. Deputies followed him as he drove away from that location and stopped his vehicle. They found methamphetamine ice in the vehicle. Meas was advised of his constitutional rights and admitted he was responsible for the distribution of approximately 168 grams of methamphetamine ice. Meas pled guilty to the last two charges, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in May of 2025.
United States District Court Judge Kristi Dubose imposed the 15-year sentence in Meas’ case and further ordered that Meas serve ten years on supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of Meas’ supervision, he will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Meas pay $200 in special assessments. Judge Dubose also ordered the forfeiture of the firearm Meas illegally possessed in 2021.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.