Mujahid Guilty of Illegal Possession of a Firearm

ANCHORAGE—United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that, after deliberating just over two hours, a federal jury found Sabil Mumin Mujahid, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, guilty of being a felon in possession of both a firearm and ammunition.

Mujahid, age 51, was tried before United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sayers-Fay, who prosecuted the case, the government introduced evidence which showed that on March 5, 2009, Mujahid exited his residence, retrieved a white Walmart bag from adjacent storage, and locked the white bag in the trunk of his Mercedes. Law enforcement officers then followed Mujahid downtown, where they lawfully seized his vehicle. During a subsequent search, law enforcement officers discovered that the white Walmart bag Mujahid had retrieved contained a loaded Smith and Wesson Performance Center .44 magnum caliber revolver wrapped in a small white towel, along with a box of .44 caliber ammunition.

Mujahid has three prior felony convictions. He was convicted of attempted murder in Hawaii in 1982. He was also convicted in this district for this same crime–being a felon in possession of a firearm–in1995, and was convicted of possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine) in Alaska in 2004.

Judge Burgess scheduled sentencing for September 4, 2009. The maximum sentence Mujahid is facing for this crime is ten 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 and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

Ms. Loeffer commended the efforts of the Anchorage Police Department Vice Squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, whose combined efforts led to the conviction in this case.