Birmingham Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Firearm Charge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man was sentenced today for illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

United States District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Joseph Ryan Byram, 39,  for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Byram received 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Byram is prohibited from having a firearm because of prior felony convictions. Byram was convicted in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, of the offenses of Burglary, First Degree in August 2001, and Theft of Property, Third Degree in April 2014, convicted in the Circuit Court of Bibb County, Alabama, of the offense of Robbery, First Degree in October 2014, and convicted in the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, of the offense of Assault, Second Degree in April 2018.

On July 25, 2021, Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home in Adger, AL, on a report that Byram was holding a victim against her will in the basement. Byram allowed the deputies inside the residence to verify.  Deputies made contact with a female inside the residence, who was later identified as the victim. Deputies immediately observed the victim to have a swollen right eye along with bruises on several parts of her body.  The victim began asking for help and informed deputies that Byram was in possession of a firearm up until their arrival and that he repeatedly beat her over the course of three days. After searching the residence, Jefferson County Sheriff detectives recovered a revolver.

The case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

The ATF investigated the case, along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darius Greene, Brittany Byrd, and Daniel McBrayer prosecuted the case.