Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Two men from Mississippi and Texas have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to traffic a machinegun across state lines. Jothan Lee Shepherd, 36, of Lucedale, Mississippi, and Braxton Allen Hissong, 37, of Austin, Texas, were found guilty after an incident involving the shipment of firearms to a restaurant in Saraland, Alabama.
Court documents reveal that on June 20, 2024, Saraland police responded to a report about a suspicious package addressed to the restaurant. The manager discovered three firearms inside the package wrapped in trash bags and spray foam. One of the weapons was an illegal, unregistered machinegun. Investigators determined that Hissong had mailed the package from Lakeway, Texas to Shepherd at the Alabama restaurant.
Shepherd later visited the restaurant asking about the package and left his phone number with management. Police then arranged for Shepherd to collect the parcel from a local post office. After briefly taking possession of it and inspecting its exterior, Shepherd told an undercover U.S. Postal Inspector he wanted to refuse delivery. Authorities subsequently seized Shepherd’s phone under a warrant and found messages between him and Hissong discussing plans for shipping and retrieving the illegal firearm.
A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) expert confirmed that the firearm operated as a fully automatic machinegun. Neither man had registered it as required by federal law.
United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Shepherd to three months in prison and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release with 300 hours of community service at Habitat for Humanity upon release. Hissong received time served along with a $2,000 fine and must complete three years’ supervised release including 300 hours of community service in the housing industry. Both men are required to pay special assessments totaling $200.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama announced these sentences: "U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement."
The case was investigated by several agencies including ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Saraland Police Department; Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted.
