During the federal government shutdown in 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama continued its work on cases involving immigration violations, violent crime, drug trafficking, and other federal offenses.
U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona stated, “During the shutdown, the mission of my office remained the same: to pursue justice for the citizens of the Northern District of Alabama. Our prosecutors’ efforts never stopped. Every day, they were in the office, in the courtroom, and working with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice and keep our communities safe.”
Several significant prosecutions took place during this period:
- Juan Francisco Castaneda, also known as “Pariente,” pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and money laundering.
- Juan Martin Sanchez-Suarez, a Mexican citizen, received a 360-month prison sentence followed by lifetime supervised release for producing child pornography.
- Wayne Carnell Brown from Birmingham was sentenced to 130 months for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and possession of a firearm related to drug trafficking.
- Michael Kilgore from Centre was sentenced to 48 months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
- Raymone Eugene Tabb from Tuscaloosa received a 22-month sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
- Joel Wesley Dillard from Morris was sentenced to 189 months plus life supervision for possessing child pornography.
- Addison Lee Cook (“Adihsun”) from Nashville was sentenced to 360 months plus life supervision for production of child pornography and coercion of a minor.
- Elmer David Hernandez-Garcia, a Honduran citizen, received 20 months for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien.
- Jamarion Carmaine Walker from Tuscaloosa was sentenced to 24 months for illegal possession of a machine gun; he advertised machinegun conversion devices under the name “Switch God.”
- Gary Forrest Edwards from Maylene was sentenced to 78 months for tax evasion and interfering with federal tax laws; he pleaded guilty during his trial.
- Daymon Maurice Collins from Birmingham received 160 months for conspiracy and distribution related to methamphetamine and fentanyl.
- Jacob Edward Daugherty from Steele was sentenced to 20 months as a felon in possession of a firearm.
Federal agencies including ATF, FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, and Homeland Security Investigations were involved in investigating these cases.
