Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
A Mobile resident, Marcus Leon Sanders Jr., was sentenced in late October 2025 to 41 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of felonies. Court documents show that Sanders has five prior felony convictions, making it illegal for him to have a firearm.
The incident occurred on October 6, 2024, when officers from the Mobile Police Department responded to reports of a domestic dispute. Witnesses reported hearing a loud argument. When police arrived, they found Sanders slashing the tires of a truck belonging to an intimate partner. Officers took him into custody and discovered a loaded pistol in his pocket.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Mobile Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use all resources available to the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime by coordinating efforts through initiatives like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
