Ten-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Illegally Possessing Stolen Firearm

MOBILE, AL – A Theodore man was sentenced to 92 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a stolen firearm.

According to court documents, Joshua Ryan Hartness, 37, was arrested by Mobile police officers on October 1, 2021. That evening, officers had responded to a 911 call regarding a white male with no shirt and numerous tattoos committing thefts on a residential street in Theodore. When officers arrived, they encountered Hartness with a Taurus 9mm pistol, among other stolen items, stuffed inside his pants. The pistol belonged to a nearby resident who had left it and other stolen items inside an unlocked truck parked in a driveway. At the time Hartness possessed the stolen pistol, he knew he had previously been convicted of ten prior felony drug and theft offenses in Mobile County Circuit Court. Hartness’s prior convictions rendered his possession of the pistol illegal under federal law.

United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Hartness to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Hartness to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.