Anthony Ellis, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, AL 2024

A Dallas County man with a violent criminal past is headed to federal prison after being caught with a loaded .38 caliber Rohm revolver in Selma, Alabama. Anthony Ellis, 34, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a crime that carries severe penalties under federal law.

On December 16, 2017, Selma police officers conducting high-crime patrol approached the intersection of The Small Street Inn and L.L. Anderson Avenue. They spotted Anthony Ellis and a relative standing beside a silver Ford Taurus. As the squad drew near, both men ducked near the passenger side of the vehicle—Ellis at the back passenger door, his relative behind the rear tire. Officers drew weapons, ordered compliance, and detained both men on scene.

Under the Ford Taurus, officers recovered two loaded handguns. Directly in front of the back passenger tire—where Ellis had been crouched—lay a .38 caliber RG revolver, later identified as a Rohm model, with three live rounds. At the relative’s crouching spot, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol was found. Ellis, a five-time felon, was arrested and charged federally; his relative, not a felon, faced no federal charges.

At trial on January 28, 2019, a jury in Selma convicted Ellis after hearing damning evidence, including his own jailhouse admissions. While awaiting trial in Monroe County Jail, Ellis confided in another inmate—a convicted felon himself—about how he planned to beat the case. ‘The cops didn’t actually see me toss the gun,’ Ellis admitted. He said he’d claim he was picking up a lighter or tying his shoe. He bragged: ‘Everybody up there knows me and they won’t convict me in Selma.’

Though the jury heard only one prior felony, court records reveal Ellis had five: Assault in the First Degree (2008), Escape in the Second Degree (2007), Certain Persons Forbidden to Carry a Firearm (2017), Assault in the Second Degree (2014), and Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle (2011)—all convictions in Dallas County, Alabama. Each underscores a pattern of violent and unlawful behavior.

The case was investigated by the Selma Police Department and ATF special agents, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina S. Vann. U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama confirmed the sentencing, underscoring federal resolve to take illegal guns off the streets—especially when placed in the hands of violent repeat offenders like Anthony Ellis.

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