Markenzy Lapointe U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
After a three-day trial, Nathaniel Martin, 45, was found guilty by a Miami federal jury of possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The jury later determined that Martin qualified as an Armed Career Criminal due to his past convictions for robbery, cocaine trafficking, and armed robbery.
The evidence presented at the trial included police responding to a tip about Martin in Miami Gardens. Officers found him with a bookbag containing fourteen rounds of live ammunition and a plastic bag with two semiautomatic pistols and additional ammunition. Surveillance footage showed Martin handling these items.
Further evidence comprised text messages where Martin asked if he could hide his guns under a friend's bed, DNA evidence on the firearms, and recorded jail calls where he mentioned "the weapons." One pistol matched shell casings from previous shootings in Miami Gardens.
U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez presided over the trial. Martin faces between fifteen years to life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for May 2, 2025. Judge Martinez will consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines before deciding on the sentence.
The verdicts were announced by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge John F. Dion, Jr., of the ATF's Miami Field Division.
The case was investigated by the ATF and Miami Gardens Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sterling M. Paulson and Altanese Phenelus.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aimed at reducing gun violence through community trust-building, supporting prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.
More information can be found on the websites of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida or related court documents under case number 24-cr-20065.
