Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 28-year-old Gainesville man will serve 27 months in federal prison after being sentenced on a charge of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, federal prosecutors announced. Curtis Lee Smith-Carter received the sentence following his conviction on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to John P. Heekin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Heekin said his office remains focused on removing illegally armed repeat offenders from local communities. “Our citizens deserve to live in communities without dangerous, armed criminals – like this serial felon – threatening their safety. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to ensure we deliver on that promise,” he said.
Original arrest
The case began with Smith-Carter’s arrest on November 8, 2025, after a Gainesville Police Department officer spotted him in the rear lot of Food Max at 1304 E. University Avenue. According to the officer, Smith-Carter picked up a backpack and walked away immediately after seeing the officer pull into the lot, an area the officer described as known for high drug activity and crime.
Authorities said Smith-Carter then began running toward the front of the store. When the officer got out of his patrol vehicle and ordered him to stop, including warnings that a K-9 was on scene, Smith-Carter allegedly kept fleeing. The officer reported that Smith-Carter tossed his backpack into a pile of hot ashes near an active fire and threw a .32-caliber pistol over a chain-link fence. Investigators later found a holster inside the backpack that the officer said “perfectly fit” the handgun recovered on the other side of the fence.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Smith-Carter reportedly admitted he had possessed the handgun, despite having nine prior felony convictions. He allegedly told investigators he found the gun and kept it because he does not like to fight. Smith-Carter was initially arrested on state charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, and resisting an officer without violence, but those charges were dismissed after a federal indictment was filed.
Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya said the case underscores the risks posed by felons who illegally carry guns. “Those who have been convicted of a felony and choose to possess a firearm put our community at risk and will be held accountable,” Moya said.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hapner handled the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
