Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Kewhan Landrum, 19, and Deyonte’ Betties, 21, both from Pensacola, Florida, have been sentenced to federal prison for possession of a machinegun. Landrum received a sentence of 36 months while Betties was sentenced to 40 months after pleading guilty to the charges. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “I sincerely appreciate the excellent work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case and help bring these two defendants to justice. This is yet another win for the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, and fulfills the promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively target violent criminals to improve the safety of our communities.”
Court records show that in October 2024, deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized a Glock pistol with a machinegun conversion device from Landrum. This device allowed the weapon to function as a machinegun. Authorities determined that Landrum had obtained this firearm from Betties and also found evidence that Betties possessed several other firearms equipped with similar devices. Investigators learned that both individuals were involved in trading firearms and narcotics.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and addressing violent crime nationwide through coordinated efforts such as OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving under direction from the Attorney General as principal litigators in their respective regions. Public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or further information about this office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
