Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

A Davie resident who possessed a firearm and ammunition was sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and required to forfeit his interest in the firearm and ammunition.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, and Dale Engle, Chief, Davie Police Department, made the announcement. 

Roberto Alexander Gonzalez, 28, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch to 87 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2) (Case No. 19CR60053). Judge Zloch ordered that during the term of Gonzalez’s supervised release he be subject to a permissible search and be required to obtain anger control/domestic violence treatment; mental health treatment; and substance abuse treatment.  Judge Zloch also ordered the forfeiture of Gonzalez’s interest in the firearm and ammunition.

 According to the court record, including the agreed upon factual proffer, on August 19, 2018, Gonzalez and another man attacked and beat a man in a convenience store in Davie.  Gonzalez used a handgun to beat the victim and then pointed the handgun at the victim before fleeing to a local bar.  Davie Police Officers arrived at the scene and interviewed the victim, who had blood streaming from lacerations above his left eye and on the back of his head.  The officers located Gonzalez at the bar and recovered the loaded handgun from where it had been hidden inside the bar’s closet.  The beating was recorded by the convenience store’s security cameras.  DNA from both Gonzalez and the victim was recovered from the handgun.

 At the time he possessed the handgun, Gonzalez was a felon who had previously been convicted of felonies in two cases in Broward County – possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, and burglary of a dwelling.

Gonzalez has also been charged by the State of Florida, which charges are based upon the beating of the victim during the same incident.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the state charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

 U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of ATF and the Davie Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Shockley.

 A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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