Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Five Years on Gun Charge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A convicted felon has been sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Jua'Ques Antonio Mitchell, 28, of Birmingham, to 70 months in prison. In April, Mitchell pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the plea agreement, while conducting routine patrol on May 17, 2024, officers with the Birmingham Police Department observed several individuals sitting on top of a vehicle openly rolling what appeared to be a marijuana blunt. Mitchell was in the driver's seat of the vehicle. During the encounter, officers recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol equipped with a machine gun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a "Glock switch," and a loaded Glock magazine. The firearm had been reported stolen in Bessemer, Alabama on October 15, 2023. Mitchell was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for a probation violation related to a 2021 attempted murder conviction in Jefferson County, Alabama.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr. prosecuted the case.