Anchorage Felon Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

ANCHORAGE—United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today, March 18, 2009, that Sabil Mumin Mujahid, of Anchorage, Alaska, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The one-count indictment named Mujahid, age 51, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Mujahid knowingly possessed a Smith and Wesson Performance Center .44 magnum caliber revolver and 25 rounds of .44 caliber ammunition. The indictment alleges that Mujahid has previously been convicted of attempted murder in Hawaii in 1982; possession of a firearm after a previous conviction for a crime with a penalty of incarceration for a year or more in Alaska in 1995; and possession of a controlled substance in Alaska in 2004.

Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Cooper, Jr., who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Anchorage Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.