Category: US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Jason Stewart Karst II (37, Fleming Island) to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Karst entered a guilty plea in March 2025.

According to court documents, in April 2024, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives received a complaint from a local shooting range that Karst and another individual had been shooting fully automatic firearms at the range. Surveillance video from the range showed Karst firing a fully automatic gun as well as a separate gun that was equipped with a silencer. Agents obtained a search warrant for a home owned by Karst and executed the warrant on May 1, 2024. During the search, agents found five silencers, a privately manufactured firearm that was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, and a pistol that was also equipped with a machinegun conversion device inside a large safe. The guns matched the appearance of the ones used by Karst at the shooting range. In addition, while agents were executing the search warrant, Karst drove up to the house. During a search of Karst’s car, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office found a white powdery substance, over 20 grams of marijuana, a scale, a pistol without a serial number, and keys to the safe.

Karst was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including two convictions for possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell or deliver, attempted use of a minor to deliver a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Additionally, contrary to federal law, the machinegun conversion devices and silencers were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record—a database maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Carlton Shoemaker, 51, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for three counts of possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.

Shoemaker appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida on July 22, 2025.

If convicted on all counts, Shoemaker faces up to life imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

HOT SPRINGS – A Pearcy man was sentenced yesterday to a total of 175 months in prison on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, as well as violations of his term of supervised release from a previous conviction. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on July 22, 2024, a Trooper with the Arkansas State Police attempted to make a traffic stop on Michael Fryar in Garland County. After the Trooper initiated his lights, Fryar fled in his vehicle and a pursuit ensued. After a short pursuit Fryar abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area. The Trooper pursued on foot and had to deploy his taser to get Fryar apprehended. At the time of the offense, Fryar was in possession of a loaded firearm with a round in the chamber and a distribution amount of methamphetamine. Fryar has an extensive criminal history and was on federal supervised release at the time of the offense.
The Arkansas State Police, 18th East Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BILLINGS – A Billings man who distributed drugs in the Billings area was sentenced today to 168 months in prison to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Tirrell Lewis, 45, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on November 3, 2023, law enforcement officers received a call that there were two gunshots in the vicinity of a residential address and the caller saw a gray Mustang leave the area very quickly. Officers spoke to the Lewis’s girlfriend on scene, and she said the sounds were fireworks. She also said she and Lewis were in a relationship and he had not been present at her residence. She allowed officers to look in her backyard where they found two spent rifle casings.

The caller told police Lewis had been at the residence and he and his girlfriend were arguing before the two gunshots and then the caller saw Lewis leave in the gray Mustang.

Later that evening officers located the Mustang. They attempted to stop the vehicle, but it fled a short distance before stopping in front of Lewis’s girlfriend’s residence. Lewis got out of the car and fled on foot behind the residence. He circled the house and ran right into an officer who then arrested him. When Lewis was taken into custody, he was found to have $6,216.18 on his person.

On November 13, 2023, a search warrant was executed on the Mustang. Inside were 4 firearms, 91 rounds of assorted ammunition, 7 ounces of fentanyl, and 9 ounces of methamphetamine. The drugs were located in a backpack in the trunk. The fentanyl was in 3 bags inside. One contained 50 pills, one contained 1,003, and one contained 814. The methamphetamine was in two zip lock baggies next to a scale and 23 clean baggies. There was a paystub for Lewis and one of the handguns under the backpack.

Lewis is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous federal conviction.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Billings Police Department, ATF, and DEA.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jarrel Daniel Rivaz, 35, of Panama City, was found guilty by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on Tuesday morning, July 22, 2025. The verdict was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from violent criminals and drug traffickers requires close collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners like we saw in this case.  I am deeply appreciative of the outstanding work of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF to get this criminal off our streets, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our communities safe from the predations of drug traffickers like this defendant.”

Evidence admitted at trial established that on December 21, 2023, during a search warrant executed at the defendant’s house in Panama City, law enforcement found and seized over 900 grams of cocaine, a large quantity of marijuana, two firearms, and ammunition. One of the firearms was found loaded in a locked shed in the same bag as some of the marijuana. Rivaz had previously been convicted of a felony drug trafficking offense in New York under the name “Gerald Walker.”

Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025, at 10 a.m. in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II. Rivaz faces a minimum mandatory term of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life.

The verdict was the result of a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ward Narramore and Alicia Forbes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

William Janis, 25, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. This sentence was ordered to run consecutively to a state custody sentence Janis is serving for a prior drug conviction.

Janis was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 28, 2025.

In December 2024, Janis was contacted by law enforcement officers after he was seen yelling outside an apartment complex in Rapid City and trying to gain access inside. Officers learned Janis had an active warrant, and he was subsequently arrested. After being arrested, Janis informed officers he had a firearm in his waistband. Officers located and seized a 9mm pistol. Janis had previously been convicted of a felony, was on parole for a felony drug conviction, and knew he was also prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to his parole agreement.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Janis was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge has sentenced a Birmingham man for possessing a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Frederick Leonard Temple, Jr., also known as “Cutt” and “Cutthroat,” 35, to 432 months in prison. In February, Temple was convicted by a jury of possession of a machine gun, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

“This sentence sends a clear message that violent, criminal conduct like Defendant Temple’s will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “I commend our law enforcement partners and prosecutors for their unwavering commitment to ensuring Temple was brought to justice.”

“Today’s sentencing illustrates the continuous commitment that the ATF shares with our state, local, and federal law-enforcement partners to combat the illegal possession of firearms, fight violent crime, and remove narcotics from the streets,” said ATF Special Acting Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz.  “We will continue to utilize all of our resources in an effort to maintain public safety in the communities that we serve.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Temple distributed fentanyl on two separate occasions. On January 26, 2022, members of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and officers from the Birmingham Police Department executed a search warrant at Temple’s residence. During the search, officers found drugs and firearms in a rear bedroom where an infant was located. The search of the residence resulted in the seizure of 14 firearms, including a Glock 9 mm pistol equipped with a machine gun-conversion device commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” several high-capacity firearm magazines, including 100- and 50-round drum magazines, and a large amount of various ammunition, as well as fentanyl, methamphetamine, six digital scales of various sizes, and other drug paraphernalia.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case along with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Birmingham Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristy M. Peoples and Alan Kirk prosecuted the case. 

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Gregory Coleman III (28, Leesburg) has entered a guilty plea to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of a firearm affecting commerce by a convicted felon. Coleman faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal grand jury indicted Coleman on December 12, 2023. 

According to the court records, Coleman has been convicted of four state felonies, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting law enforcement with violence, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, and possession of cocaine. Following these convictions, on November 4, 2023, Coleman sold a firearm to a confidential source who was working in cooperation with federal agents. Coleman told the source he had more firearms but wanted to keep them for himself. As a convicted felon, Coleman is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Eustis Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for violating the conditions of court-supervised release following his imprisonment for a firearms offense.

KEESHON SAMSON, 31, was released from federal prison in 2023 after being convicted of illegally possessing a loaded semiautomatic handgun on Chicago’s South Side.  The gun had been reported stolen in a burglary of a licensed firearms dealer.  Samson remained under court-supervised release for three years following imprisonment.

In February 2025, Samson was accused of breaking windows out of an acquaintance’s house and threatening the physical safety of an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigator in a series of harassing telephone calls from a masked phone number.

On July 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found that Samson threatened the DCFS investigator and thus violated the supervised release conditions, one of which prohibited him from committing a federal, state, or local crime while under supervision.  Judge Blakey sentenced Samson to 21 months in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell.

“In our federal system of justice, supervised release is a critically important part of the sentencing process,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.  “It is designed to help offenders transition back into society while also ensuring public safety.  When a defendant on supervised release chooses to violate clear conditions designed to protect the community, my Office will not hesitate to prosecute the violation and hold the defendant accountable.”

“The defendant’s conduct while on supervised release demonstrated a reckless disregard for the law, the safety of others, and the Court’s orders,” said ATF SAC Amon.  “This sentence sends a clear message that violations of Court-imposed conditions of release will not be tolerated.”

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Antwaun Winbush, 45, of Charleston was sentenced on Monday, July 21, 2025, to 12 years and seven months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 25, 2024, a law enforcement officer attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Winbush on U.S. Route 35 in Putnam County. Winbush attempted to flee from the officer, reaching speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. While fleeing, Winbush dumped large quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana out of his vehicle’s window. Some of the thrown methamphetamine struck the officer’s patrol vehicle and the officer inhaled methamphetamine through the air vents. Winbush almost struck multiple vehicles while fleeing before he lost control of his vehicle and came to a stop.

Officers arrested Winbush following the pursuit and recovered some but not all the methamphetamine from the roadway. As part of his guilty plea, Winbush admitted that he possessed approximately 141.8 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

Winbush also committed other criminal conduct on October 4, 2021, and December 24, 2023. On October 4, 2021, an officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Winbush in Jackson County. A search of the vehicle by law enforcement resulted in the seizure of approximately 227 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, 8 grams of cocaine, 14.7 grams of fentanyl, and a Glock model 33 .357-caliber pistol found hidden behind the stereo area of the dashboard. Winbush admitted to possessing the seized controlled substances and to intending to distribute them.

On December 24, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Winbush’s residence and seized more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, and ammunition found hidden behind a loose wall. Officers also found drug trafficking paraphernalia, including scales, cutting agents and plastic baggies, during the search.

“Winbush’s criminal history dates back 30 years and includes 20 adult convictions. Winbush has shown time and again that he is only deterred from continuing his criminal conduct and putting citizens at risk when he is incarcerated,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “I commend the brave law enforcement officers who safely apprehended the defendant after he endangered their lives and the public with his reckless attempt to flee the Putnam County traffic stop. I also commend investigative work of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Price prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-154.

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