Atmore Man Sentenced for Fraud and Illegal Possession of a Machinegun

MOBILE, AL - An Atmore man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraud in connection with emergency benefits, wire fraud, bank fraud, and illegal possession of a machinegun.

According to court documents, Tyderian Deantwyne Sims, 25, committed a variety of frauds between 2021 and 2023. In March 2021, Sims fraudulently obtained federal pandemic unemployment compensation benefits by filing a certification with the Alabama Department of Labor falsely claiming that he had not worked or received wages due to COVID 19 restrictions. In May 2021, Sims obtained a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan. To obtain the fully forgivable loan, Sims filed a Schedule C tax form falsely claiming that he operated a lawncare business. Finally, in July 2023, Sims made a series of fraudulent transactions involving counterfeited and forged checks, which had been generated using checks stolen from the U.S. mail.

In June 2024, police in Atmore arrested Sims on a federal arrest warrant relating to his fraud crimes. During the arrest, police found a .40 caliber Glock pistol in Sims's car. The pistol had been illegally modified with a machinegun-conversion device, commonly known as a "Glock switch." Sims admitted that he bought the illegal machinegun from someone via Instagram. Data extracted from Sims's cell phone indicated that Sims offered to sell machinegun-conversion devices to other people.

In addition to the 21-month prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Sims to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will receive mental health treatment and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Sims to pay $32,229.59 in victim restitution and $400 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The United States Postal Investigation Service, the Alabama Department of Labor Internal Security Division, and the Atmore Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.