Court Sentences Mobile County Man for Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon

MOBILE, Ala. – On July 31, 2026, United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Ralpheal Rashod Bridges to 30 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to court documents, on July 28, 2025, an investigator with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) observed Bridges engage in what appeared to be a drug transaction from his vehicle in the parking lot of a Waffle House in Mobile. A MCSO deputy subsequently conducted a traffic stop after observing a traffic violation. During the ensuing investigation, law enforcement discovered approximately $3,000 in U.S. currency, approximately 420 grams of marijuana, two suspected pressed fentanyl pills, 19 30-milligram oxycodone pills, 61 20-milligram oxycodone pills, 191 10-milligram oxycodone pills, two digital scales, and a loaded Glock Model 19, 9mm handgun inside the vehicle. Federal law prohibits Bridges from possessing a firearm because of his prior felonies which include multiple Possession of Marijuana convictions and Promoting Prison Contraband. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).