Yellowhammer Times

An Evergreen man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.

Court documents state that Cornelius Antoine Dean, 34, was arrested on July 11, 2023, during a traffic stop by Alabama State Troopers in Evergreen. During the stop, troopers detected the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle where Dean was a passenger. A pat-down search led officers to find and seize a .45 caliber pistol in Dean’s waistband. Authorities also found multiple individually packaged baggies of marijuana and a digital scale near Dean’s identification card in the backseat within his reach.

Following his arrest, Dean admitted he possessed the firearm and acknowledged his previous felony conviction for drug distribution. This prior conviction made it illegal under federal law for him to have a gun. Dean also stated that he knew he was not allowed to possess firearms.

United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Dean to 46 months in prison and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence. The court did not impose a fine but required Dean to pay $100 in special assessments and forfeited his pistol to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

According to officials, this prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative aimed at using resources from agencies such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address violent crime by targeting illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations.