Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Jerney Jabara Purifoy, a 33-year-old resident of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Purifoy appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho for arraignment in Pensacola on September 8, 2025. His trial is scheduled to begin on October 20, 2025, before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II.
If found guilty, Purifoy could face up to fifteen years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton is handling the prosecution.
"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 falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative led by the Department of Justice that focuses resources on combating illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime. The operation coordinates efforts 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 serving as principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. Additional information about the office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
