Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Joseph Ambrose Wilburn, Jr., a resident of Mobile, Alabama, has been sentenced to 156 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moore.
Court documents reveal that on April 11, 2024, the Mobile Police Department acted on information regarding an active arrest warrant for Wilburn related to allegations of using a firearm in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman. During a traffic stop later that day, authorities discovered Wilburn in possession of two additional firearms. His criminal history includes multiple felony convictions such as Domestic Violence – Assault, Criminal Trespass, Possession/Receipt of a Controlled Substance, and Reckless Endangerment.
Wilburn pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following his prison term, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello from the Southern District of Alabama. The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alongside the Mobile Police Department.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, which is aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime. The initiative draws resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Terrill and Jimmy L. Thomas prosecuted the case for the United States.
