Baltimore County Man Facing Federal Indictment for Illegally Purchasing and Possessing Firearms and Ammunition
Indictment Alleges Defendant Provided a Fake Federal Firearms License to Firearms Dealers to Illegally Obtain Multiple Guns
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Al Jumal Mitchell, age 37, of Middle River, Maryland, for federal charges related to his illegal purchases and attempted purchase of firearms using a fraudulent Federal Firearms License. The indictment was returned on August 18, 2021. Mitchell has an initial appearance today at 1:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the six-count indictment, as a result of a previous conviction Mitchell was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. The indictment alleges that Mitchell used fraudulent identification to illegally purchase two firearms and attempt to purchase a third outside of Maryland. Two of the firearms were allegedly shipped to Mitchell in Maryland.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that on October 9, 2020, December 18, 2020, and January 9, 2021, Mitchell used a Federal Firearms License that did not belong to him and had an altered address to purchase a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a 93R17 rifle, and a 9mm semi-automatic rifle, from three licensed firearms dealers. Further, the indictment alleges that Mitchell unlawfully received at his residence two of the three firearms, which he had acquired outside Maryland.
Finally, as alleged in the indictment, on April 8, 2021, Mitchell illegally possessed the two 9mm firearms he purchased on October 9, 2020 and January 9, 2021, as well as a 20 gauge pump-action shotgun, a .357 magnum revolver, and 165 rounds of various caliber ammunition, including 100 rounds of jacketed hollow point ammunition.
If convicted, Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each of two counts of unlawful receipt of a firearm acquired outside Maryland; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of furnishing false identification to a licensed firearms dealer; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger and his Office for their assistance. Mr. Lenzner thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
