United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Ralpheal Rashod Bridges on July 31, 2026, to 30 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in Mobile, Alabama.
According to court documents, an investigator with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office observed Bridges engage in what appeared to be a drug transaction from his vehicle in the parking lot of a Waffle House on July 28, 2025. A sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop after observing a traffic violation. During the investigation that followed, law enforcement found approximately $3,000 in U.S. currency, about 420 grams of marijuana, two suspected pressed fentanyl pills, several oxycodone pills of varying dosages totaling over 270 pills, two digital scales, and a loaded Glock Model 19 handgun inside the vehicle.
Federal law prohibits Bridges from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions including multiple Possession of Marijuana charges and Promoting Prison Contraband. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement regarding this sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Department of Homeland Security; Homeland Security Investigations; and Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted it on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative involving resources from Department of Justice task forces aimed at addressing illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators by streamlining efforts between agencies such as Homeland Security Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama serves as chief federal law enforcement officer for its district by prosecuting federal crimes—including cases like this one—defending civil actions against the United States government in court proceedings, advancing community wellness through outreach programs and victim-witness services, while collaborating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies according to the official website.