Joshua Elijah Strickland, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, North Carolina 2025

Joshua Elijah Strickland, a 22-year-old Wilson man, was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.

Raleigh, N.C. – Strickland pled guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025, and was sentenced on Friday. He has several prior felony convictions, including possession of a stolen firearm and maintaining a place for the use, storage, or sale of a controlled substance.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Strickland was arrested last July when the Wilson Police Department searched a house where Strickland and other gang members stored guns and drugs.

The search came on the heels of a June 26, 2024, incident in which multiple men were spotted retreating to the gang house after firing 11 rounds into another occupied house just a few blocks away. The June 26 shooting was part of a spike in gang violence last summer, when Wilson saw at least 12 gang-related shootings occur in less than one month.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Wilson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Chris Cogburn prosecuted the case.

Strickland’s sentencing was announced by Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.

The case, 4:24-CR-305, can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number.

Defendant: Joshua Elijah Strickland

Crime: Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

City and State: Wilson, North Carolina

Exact Date: March 11, 2025 (sentencing), July (arrest)

Sentence: Seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-305.