Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Lagarius Joseph Johnson, a 20-year-old resident of Gainesville, Florida, has been found guilty by a federal jury for possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This announcement was made by Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The trial revealed that officers from the Alachua County Sheriff's Office and Gainesville Police Department were conducting surveillance at Majestic Oaks apartments due to reports suggesting Johnson and others possessed firearms, including a machine gun. Johnson was legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior criminal record. Officers attempted to approach him, but he reacted by pointing his hand inside his jacket pocket as if armed with a pistol. As officers identified themselves, Johnson fled but was apprehended with the assistance of a police canine. During his flight, he discarded items including a cellphone, backpack, and pistol. The backpack contained marijuana intended for distribution along with empty baggies and a digital scale. The Glock pistol was equipped with a conversion device making it fully automatic. Search warrants led officers to review materials from Johnson's cellphone and social media accounts which showed images of him posing with guns and large sums of cash while advertising marijuana sales on the day he was arrested.
Johnson had previously been convicted on April 16, 2025, in United States District Court for possession charges related to marijuana distribution intent and firearm possession as an unlawful user of controlled substances.
Sentencing is set for August 12, 2025, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Judge Allen C. Winsor.
In addition to these convictions, Johnson faces unrelated charges of attempted first-degree murder involving a machine gun in Alachua County's Eighth Judicial Circuit Court where he has pleaded not guilty.
This conviction results from collaborative efforts by multiple agencies including the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, Gainesville Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Eric Welch prosecuted this case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration impacts while eliminating cartels/transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) thus safeguarding communities against violent crime perpetrators using resources like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) alongside Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For more details about public court documents or information regarding the U.S Attorney’s Office Northern District visit their official websites.
