United States Attorney Leura G. Canary Middle District of Alabama

BIRMINGHAM FELON ARRAIGNED ON FEDERAL FIREARMS CHARGES

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA—Leura G. Canary, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, announced today that Mario Holifield, age 29, of Birmingham, Alabama, has been arraigned in federal district court on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Holifield was previously indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment alleges that on August 9, 2006, in Montgomery County, and again on October 30, 2006, in Chilton County, Holifield unlawfully possessed a firearm in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. Section 922(g)(1), after having been previously convicted of four felonies, including two convictions for manslaughter, one for robbery, and one for receiving stolen property. If convicted on the gun charges and found to have three prior convictions for crimes of violence, Holifield faces being sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal, subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.

At his arraignment, Holifield was formally notified of the charges in the indictment and pled not guilty. His case is set for trial on November 5, 2007.

The case was investigated as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Middle District of Alabama’s Alabama ICE (Isolating the Criminal Element) programs, which aim to prevent violent crime and the illegal possession of firearms. U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary stated, “This case is another example of the continuing effort to remove violent repeat offenders such as Holifield from our streets. By prosecuting convicted felons who subsequently possess firearms in violation of federal law, we help keep our community safer and decrease the incidence of violent gun crimes.”

This case was investigated through the joint efforts of the Montgomery Police Department, the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney Randall Houston of the 19th Judicial Circuit, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Matthew Shepherd.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.