BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Alabama, Northern), published as received.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A drug trafficker with a prior murder conviction has been sentenced on gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. 

U.S. District Judge Corey Maze sentenced Francis Williams also known as “Mookie,” 33, of Birmingham, Alabama, to 240 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine and using and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. Williams pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

“Violent individuals who continue to commit crimes in our communities will be met with the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams. “We will continue working aggressively with our federal, state and local law enforcement to bring the most dangerous offenders to justice.” 

“The presence of illegal firearms, particularly those equipped with machinegun conversion devices, significantly elevates the danger to our communities,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI is relentless in our pursuit of individuals who disregard the law and pose a threat to public safety. This sentence sends a clear message: those who choose to engage in drug trafficking while illegally arming themselves with stolen weapons will be identified, investigated, and held accountable.”

According to court documents, in April and May 2023, Williams sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on two occasions. During one of the drug sales, Williams displayed a black pistol. In September 2023, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) issued arrest warrants for Williams for trafficking methamphetamine. On January 26, 2025, United States Marshals Service (USMS) Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Williams after he left a residence on Worchester Court in Birmingham. A state search warrant was obtained and executed at the residence.  During the search, ALEA agents recovered a SCCY 9mm pistol and a Glock 9mm pistol with a machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.” Both pistols had been reported stolen—the SCCY from Homewood in November 2023 and the Glock from Birmingham in September 2021. 

Williams is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of multiple prior felony convictions, including a 2013 murder conviction in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County. 

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case along with USMS and ALEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.