Juve Markie Lequan McAlpin, a 24-year-old resident of Asheville, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for firearm offenses. The sentence includes three years of supervised release following his prison term. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, McAlpin was previously convicted in federal court on August 4, 2022, for illegal possession of a firearm and served time in prison. After his release, he was placed under federal supervision.
On April 24, 2024, while still under supervision, McAlpin was arrested at a Shell gas station in Hendersonville. Law enforcement officers found a loaded Taurus .357 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number on the passenger-side floorboard of the vehicle where McAlpin was seated. Officers also recovered a black hoodie from the car.
Investigators determined that McAlpin had worn the same hoodie four days earlier when he fired two rounds into a moving vehicle at an Asheville apartment complex. A passenger in that vehicle was struck in the leg and treated at a hospital.
McAlpin remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once a facility is designated.
Russ Ferguson expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Asheville Police Department during the investigation. Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Michael Lamb of the Asheville Police Department joined Ferguson in announcing the sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast prosecuted the case from the Asheville office.
The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, which is designed to coordinate resources from multiple Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), aiming to combat violent crime and criminal organizations nationwide.
