Huntsville Man Sentenced to 17½ Years in Prison as Armed Career Criminal

HUNTSVILLE – A Huntsville man who shot at police in 2015 when they came to his home to serve a search warrant received a federal prison sentence Thursday of more than 17 years, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn sentenced CEDRIN FARODD CARTER, 35, to 17½ years in prison for illegal possession of marijuana and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Carter’s felon in possession conviction carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum life sentence because the judge determined he is an armed career criminal.

“Society needs protection from dangerous criminals like this defendant, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are providing it,” Town said. “Carter is an armed career criminal with a string of prior drug offenses. He was dealing drugs, carrying a gun and fired it at police in September 2015. The judge sentenced Carter to 17½ years in federal prison, which ensures that he will be unable to further threaten society during this time.” 

“The sentencing represents the direct impact by ATFs Crime Gun Intelligence for those who choose to cause harm to law enforcement and the public,” Watson said.

In sentencing Carter, Judge Blackburn found that he committed perjury when he testified in his own defense at his 2018 trial. According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Carter’s perjury included “outlandish allegations that law enforcement staged a crime scene, fabricated evidence, and coerced him into signing a Miranda waiver form. He plainly obstructed justice and failed to accept responsibility for his crimes.”

ATF investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Royster and Mohammad Khatib prosecuted.