A Birmingham man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
Jua’Ques Antonio Mitchell, 28, received a sentence of 70 months from U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor after pleading guilty in April to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on May 17, 2024, officers from the Birmingham Police Department were conducting routine patrol when they saw several people sitting on top of a vehicle and appearing to roll what looked like a marijuana blunt. Mitchell was found in the driver’s seat. During the stop, police recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol fitted with a machine gun-conversion device known as a “Glock switch,” along with a loaded magazine. Authorities determined that the firearm had been reported stolen in Bessemer, Alabama on October 15, 2023.
Mitchell was also taken into custody on an outstanding warrant related to probation violations from his 2021 attempted murder conviction in Jefferson County.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked alongside the Birmingham Police Department during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr., prosecuted the case.
“U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona said: ‘This case demonstrates our commitment to removing illegal firearms from our communities and holding accountable those who unlawfully possess them.’”
