Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
MOBILE, AL – Joseph Ambrose Wilburn, Jr., of Mobile, Alabama, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on April 11, 2024, the Mobile Police Department received information about an active arrest warrant for Wilburn in connection to him using a firearm to kidnap and sexually assault a woman. Later that day, Wilburn was stopped pursuant to a traffic stop where he was found to be in possession of two additional firearms. Wilburn has multiple prior felony convictions including multiple convictions of Domestic Violence – Assault, and convictions of Criminal Trespass, Possession/Receipt of a Controlled Substance, and Reckless Endangerment, among others. As a convicted felon, Wilburn is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Wilburn was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moore sentenced Wilburn to 156 months in prison 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
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).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill and Jimmy L. Thomas prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.