A Mobile resident, Marcus Leon Sanders Jr., was sentenced in late October 2025 to 41 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm following a felony conviction. The sentencing follows an incident on October 6, 2024, when officers from the Mobile Police Department responded to reports of a domestic dispute. Witnesses reported hearing a loud argument, and upon arrival, police found Sanders slashing the tires of a truck belonging to an intimate partner. Officers discovered a loaded pistol in Sanders’ pocket when he was taken into custody.
Court records indicate that Sanders has five prior felony convictions, which prohibit him from owning or possessing firearms.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentence. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Mobile Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime through coordinated efforts involving Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
