DaMorie Lamontay Miles, 19, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty on May 12 to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and receipt, possession, transfer, or production of a firearm not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Heekin said: “Running with drugs and illegal firearms in the Northern District of Florida is a one-way ticket to federal prison, and my office is more than happy to send this felon on his way. Operation Take Back America is a promise to U.S. citizens that the Department of Justice will devote maximum resources toward keeping our streets safe and drug-free, and my office will continue to deliver on that promise with successful prosecutions like this one.”
According to court records, Miles communicated via text message and social media with others about buying and selling marijuana as well as obtaining a machine gun conversion device (MCD). Authorities arrested him after executing a search warrant at his residence where they found over 600 grams of marijuana along with the MCD.
If convicted on all counts, Miles faces up to ten years in prison. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Gainesville Police Department jointly investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt is prosecuting.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and violent crime by targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida enforces federal laws including civil rights protections across northern Florida’s 23 counties—including Tallahassee—and works from facilities in Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Gainesville as part of the United States Department of Justice according to its official website.
