A man from Jefferson County has been sentenced to prison following a gun-related charge, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
Jaden O’Neal Cooper, also known as "Tallapoosa Jay," aged 21 and from Midfield, Alabama, received a 27-month prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala. Cooper pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun in January.
Court documents reveal that on February 1, 2024, a surveillance operation was conducted in the Inglenook area by detectives from the Leeds Police Department, Birmingham Police Department East Task Force, the FBI, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department's Star One Aviation Unit. During this operation, they interacted with an individual operating a red 2021 Hyundai Sonata. A discrepancy was noticed when the vehicle's tag was checked, revealing it belonged to a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata instead. This prompted a Birmingham Police officer to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle.
As officers approached, it was identified that Cooper, a known member of the Hard to Kill "H2K" street gang, was a passenger. An AM-15 pistol was located at Cooper’s feet, visible to the approaching officer. Backup officers arrived, and a Leeds Police Department detective confiscated the firearm, which was found to be loaded and equipped with a 3-D printed "swift link" conversion device. This device converted the firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, along with the participation of the Leeds Police Department, Birmingham Police Department East Task Force, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department’s Star One Aviation Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Darius C. Greene prosecuted the case.