Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
A federal grand jury has indicted James Wiley Kelley, Jr., 50, of Altha, Florida, on charges including possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon, possession of a machine gun, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Kelley appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on September 24 in Tallahassee. His jury trial is set for November 27 before District Court Judge Mark E. Walker.
If found guilty, Kelley could face up to ten years in prison each for possessing an unregistered NFA weapon and a machine gun, as well as up to fifteen years for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
The investigation involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody is prosecuting the case.
"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," according to the statement.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), which coordinates resources from various Department of Justice initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and combat violent crime nationwide.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida operates as one of 94 offices representing the nation under the direction of the Attorney General. Additional public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website; more information about this office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
