Scarborough Man Admits Federal Firearm Charge

PORTLAND, Maine: A Scarborough man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction.

According to court records, in November 2024, South Portland police officers approached James Selberg-Stross, 33, while he was inside a vehicle parked at a gas station. An officer observed that Selberg-Stross had a handgun on his lap. A loaded magazine for the handgun was found elsewhere in the vehicle. Selberg-Stross was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his criminal history, which includes a federal conviction for possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute.

Selberg-Stross faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the South Portland Police Department. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods: 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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