The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District announced on Wednesday the sentencing of Darrie Dewayne Ziegler, 32, of Birmingham, to 92 months in prison. One year ago, Ziegler pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Violent offenders who continue to disregard the law will be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Phillip Williams said. “I commend the outstanding work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their dedication to protecting the citizens of the Northern District of Alabama and ensuring that repeat offenders like Ziegler are removed from our communities.”
On Aug. 6, 2024, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Birmingham Police Department received a tip from Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama related to Ziegler possessing firearms and selling drugs at a motel in Birmingham.
The ATF later located Ziegler at a Fairfield hotel. Officers recovered from Ziegler’s hotel room a Shadow Systems MR920 9mm pistol with a green dot sight, an extended magazine, marijuana and ammunition.
The pistol and several other guns had been reported stolen a week earlier from a vehicle in Tuscaloosa. The next day, hotel staff found a backpack in the laundry room and reported the discovery to law enforcement. Officers recovered a Glock 9mm pistol from the bag. It had been converted to an automatic with a conversion device commonly referred to as a Glock switch. Police also recovered two 50-round drum magazines, a regular magazine, 28 grams of methamphetamine, 6 grams of fentanyl, alprazolam, digital scales and cash.
At the time of the incident, Ziegler had one arrest warrant from the Irondale Police Department and nine from the Birmingham Police Department.
In 2018, Ziegler was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In 2019, he was sentenced to 70 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Ziegler was released in January 2022. Ziegler violated his supervised release after he failed to report to his probation officer for four months and after he was arrested for domestic violence assault. His supervised release was revoked in 2023, and he served an additional 15 months in federal prison as a result. He was released in January 2024.
“This sentence for a multi-convicted federal defendant found with firearms and drugs is a reminder that repetitive criminal conduct carries serious consequences,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples.
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