David Tyler Nelson, Federal Gun Possession, AL 2024

A Mobile County man is headed to federal prison after being caught sleeping with a loaded firearm tucked in his waistband during a routine traffic stop. David Tyler Nelson, 23, of Mobile, Alabama, was sentenced to 33 months in federal custody followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

The incident unfolded on May 13, 2017, when law enforcement pulled over a vehicle for traffic violations. Officers spotted Nelson, a passenger, slumped in the back seat with a handgun visible in his waistband. After retrieving the weapon, they woke Nelson, who immediately lied—giving a false name and date of birth in an attempt to evade identification. His ruse failed when officers found his work ID during a vehicle inventory, exposing his true identity.

At the scene, Nelson offered a shifting story. When questioned about the firearm, he admitted, “I just bought it for a couple bills. I took it to a party across the bay.” But weeks later, on June 6, 2017, when confronted by federal agents, he claimed he “did not remember” why he had the gun, suggesting he “might have been worried about getting robbed.” By September 9, 2017, during a post-arrest interview, his memory had vanished entirely—he told investigators he “did not know why he would have” a firearm.

Nelson’s credibility collapsed at trial. On November 14, 2017, a jury rejected his shifting explanations and convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm. His prior felony conviction stemmed from Unlawful Possession or Receipt of a Controlled Substance, which legally barred him from possessing any firearm.

The investigation was a joint operation involving the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Police Department, and FBI special agents. The case was brought to prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina Vann, Erica Hilliard, and Lawrence Bullard leading the charge.

U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore emphasized the gravity of arming convicted felons: “David Tyler Nelson made a choice to carry a weapon despite a criminal record that legally prohibited it. This sentence reflects our commitment to removing firearms from dangerous individuals and keeping our communities safe.”