Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Anthony Yancy, Jr., 25, will spend two years in federal prison after being sentenced for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, federal prosecutors announced. John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, disclosed the sentence.
Heekin said his office remains focused on firearm cases involving repeat offenders. “The safety of our communities is not negotiable, and we will not yield control of our streets to serial felons, like this defendant, who have amply demonstrated their outright refusal to follow the law,” he said. “My office will aggressively prosecute these cases to deliver the safe, crime-free streets our citizens deserve.”
Original arrest
Yancy was taken into custody on January 2, 2026, following a traffic stop prompted by inoperable taillights and tag lights. According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy, the deputy smelled marijuana and observed marijuana “shake” in plain view on the vehicle’s center console. A probable cause search of the vehicle then reportedly turned up a handgun inside a bag behind the passenger seat. Authorities said Yancy made spontaneous statements acknowledging that he knew he was a felon and should not have had the firearm, while also saying he was moving to a new apartment.
After completing his prison term, Yancy will serve three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office jointly investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner handled the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide Department of Justice program, brings together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and public safety partners to address violent crime and improve community safety. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices across all 94 federal districts, PSN is designed to respond to the specific crime and public safety concerns of individual communities. As part of Operation Take Back America, the initiative supports the Department’s broader public safety strategy. PSN focuses on three central principles: a swift federal response to violent crime and offenders; coordinated partnerships across all levels of law enforcement; and accountability and deterrence through prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and related strategies. Federal officials say the program also supports President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces by strengthening the federal response to urgent public safety threats.
