Montgomery, Alabama – On April 5, 2022, Kilpatrick Cornelius McKinney, 38, from Kellyton, Alabama, was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. McKinney was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence is completed. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented at McKinney’s October 2021 trial, on November 16, 2018, law enforcement was executing a search warrant at McKinney’s residence following his arrest and found two guns. In addition to the guns, investigators found approximately 452 grams of marijuana, 15 grams of powder cocaine, 27 tablets containing methamphetamine, and approximately $3,870.00 in cash. Because McKinney has multiple felony convictions, he is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.
After hearing the evidence during his trial, the jury found McKinney guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. McKinney received a lengthy sentence largely due to his extensive criminal history.
This case was prosecuted pursuant to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a program in which U.S. Attorneys’ offices work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN as part of its renewed focus on targeting armed violent criminals and gang members.
The United States Marshals Service, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case, with assistance from the Coosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and J. Patrick Lamb prosecuted the case.