Wilson, NC Man Sentenced To 7 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun Possession Linked To Gang Shooting Spree
Federal justice came down hard on 22-year-old Joshua Strickland, a convicted felon from Wilson, who was sentenced Monday to 87 months (approx. 7 years) in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Strickland, who pleaded guilty on March 11, 2025, admitted to unlawfully possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon—a federal offense that carries serious time behind bars.
In his plea agreement, Joshua Strickland owned up to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Strickland’s admission triggered enhanced sentencing under federal guidelines due to his prior convictions.
Joshua Strickland
2024 Gang-Related Shooting Rocks Neighborhood
In June 2024, surveillance footage captured multiple shooters fleeing a known gang residence in Wilson after 11 shots were fired into an occupied home. In response, a joint task force from the FBI Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Unit and Wilson Police executed a raid at the gang hideout. Inside, agents uncovered illegal firearms and narcotics, leading to the arrest of Strickland and others linked to gang activity.
Strickland wasn’t new to the system. His criminal record includes:
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Possession of a stolen firearm
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Maintaining a property for drug trafficking
These past charges pushed his federal sentence even higher under enhanced penalties for repeat offenders.
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