Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

FORT MYERS, Fla. — U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Willie James Hunter, Jr., 22, of Fort Myers, today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Hunter faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a car in which Hunter was the passenger. The car slowed down, and Hunter exited the vehicle. The car then fled from police and was later found abandoned. Officers located a handgun and a rifle in the abandoned car. Hunter’s fingerprints were later found on the rifle. At the time, Hunter had prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm by a delinquent and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As a convicted felon Hunter is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Hunter agreed to forfeit the rifle.

This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Morgan.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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