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A 61-year-old Rocky Mount man will spend more than three years in federal prison after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Hasan Ali Muhammed, 61, also known as “Paul Burwell,” was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possessing a Glock 21 handgun despite being prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction WDBJ reported.
According to prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, Muhammed pleaded guilty in August 2026 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The case dates back to October 23, 2022, when the Franklin County Sheriff's Office received a report of trespassing at a property belonging to a woman identified in court documents as V.L.
The woman reported that two of her uncles, including Muhammed, were on her property and that she felt threatened.
Deputies later learned that Muhammed was wanted on an active federal warrant related to bulk cash smuggling out of Florida.
Later that evening, deputies returned to the property after receiving another call reporting that Muhammed was knocking on a basement door.
Working alongside Virginia State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service, officers used a drone and other investigative methods to locate Muhammed hiding inside a culvert pipe.
When he was apprehended, authorities found him carrying approximately $12,000 in cash and another person's birth certificate.
The following day, officers discovered a Glock 21 handgun, an extra magazine and a shotgun ammunition belt containing shotgun shells concealed beneath mud and water inside the culvert pipe.
The firearm discovery ultimately led to the federal charge and conviction.
Muhammed was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison.
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