Birmingham Man Sentenced After Using Stolen ID To Buy Guns

BIRMINGHAM, AL – A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Birmingham man after he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a firearms dealer during the purchase of guns at two Tuscaloosa gun stores.

U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon sentenced Nasheed Kareem Hutchins, 22, to two years in prison. Hutchins pleaded guilty to these charges in February.

According to the plea agreement, using the stolen identification card of another man, Hutchins purchased six pistols from Wade’s Jewelry and Pawn and two pistols from Quick Pawn Shop #9 on the same day. The ATF began an investigation after law enforcement officers in New Jersey recovered one of the guns from a felon within a short time after it was purchased in Tuscaloosa.

After security video at one of the gun stores ruled out the individual whose identification card was used, ATF agents tracked down the true purchaser, Hutchins, using contact information provided during one of the purchases and an unrelated booking video of Hutchins from the Tuscaloosa County Jail. That video showed Hutchins wearing the same distinctive shirt as the gun buyer. Hutchins later admitted using the identification card to buy the guns.

“Illegally obtained firearms are a major source of crime guns throughout the United States,” U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said. “My office is committed to prosecuting those who illegally acquire and possess firearms.”