Share this @internewscast.com

Press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A federal jury has found 20-year-old Lagarius Joseph Johnson from Gainesville guilty of possessing a machine gun while involved in a drug trafficking crime. The verdict was revealed by Michelle Spaven, the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The trial evidence showed that officers from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department were surveilling the Majestic Oaks apartments. Reports suggested that Johnson and others were carrying firearms, including a machine gun. Due to previous offences, Johnson was legally prohibited from holding a firearm. When the officers recognized Johnson and tried to approach him, he abruptly turned and gestured as though he had a gun concealed in his jacket, leading the officers to believe he was armed. Once the officers identified themselves as police, Johnson attempted to flee. The officers, with the help of a police dog, managed to capture him. During his escape attempt, Johnson discarded a cell phone, backpack, and pistol. The backpack was found to contain a distribution-level amount of marijuana, empty baggies, and a digital scale. The Glock pistol thrown away by Johnson was identified as having a machine gun conversion device, which made the pistol fully automatic. After obtaining search warrants, officers examined Johnson’s cell phone and social media accounts, discovering numerous images of Johnson with firearms, hefty cash sums, and he was also promoting marijuana sales, including on the arrest day.

Johnson had already been convicted at an earlier trial on April 16, 2025, in the United States District Court on charges of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm by a controlled substance user, and possession of a machine gun.

Sentencing for each of the firearm and drug trafficking charges is scheduled for August 12, 2025, at 10:00 am. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before United States District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.

Johnson also faces unrelated charges of attempted first-degree murder involving a machine gun in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in and for Alachua County, where he has entered a plea of not guilty and is presumed innocent. (Click here for Alachua Chronicle’s article on that incident.)

This conviction was the result of a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain and Eric Welch prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Drugs Discovered Concealed in Wine and Chocolate

What could have been a dream date night for criminals turned out…

French Citizen Accused in Suspected $20 Million Methamphetamine Seizure

A French national has been charged after allegedly trying to import 22kg…

Man Convicted for Making Threats Against Trump and Vance

President Donald Trump gestures past Vice President JD Vance during a FIFA…

Man abducted girl from backyard, accused her mother of attack

Inset: Qalinle Dirie (Hennepin County). Background: The 1900 block of Sheridan Avenue…

Driver Convicted for Fatal Crash That Claimed Two Lives at Restaurant

Left: Steven Bailey. Right: A video showing Bailey crashing into a crowded…

Vandals Target Major Australian Logistics Company in Anti-Israel Incident

Anti-Israel activists have recorded themselves vandalising the head office of one of…

Mother Admits Guilt After Claiming 6-Year-Old Son’s Death as Suicide; Child Found Facedown in Bathtub, Police Report

A 10-year-old sibling told police that they were ‘rewarded’ with candy for…

Michigan Resident Faces Terrorism Charges in Walmart Stabbing Incident

A 42-year-old man from Michigan has been charged with terrorism and eleven…

Judge Prohibits Crystal Rogers’ Convicted Killer from Liquidating Assets Before Wrongful Death Trial

Last week, a judge in Kentucky prohibited Brooks Houck, a wealthy convicted…

‘EXCLUSIVE: Epstein Allegedly Told Brother He Had Compromising Information’

Jeffrey Epstein’s brother Mark has revealed shock claims made by the disgraced…

Boyfriend Unable to Physically Confront Husband, Resorts to Shooting: Police Report

Inset: Micah Hill (Edmond Police Department). Background: The Biomat USA Plasma Center…

Mother Sentenced for Abusing and Drowning Her 6-Year-Old Child

Main, left to right: Alize Seymore and Tre Seymore (Polk County Sheriff’s…