Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Re’Shod Peter Jontavious Larry (28, Fort Myers) to seven years and eight months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Larry to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Larry had pleaded guilty on June 15, 2022.

According to court records, on November 16, 2021, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) stopped a vehicle for a routine traffic infraction. Larry was the front-seat passenger in the vehicle. After a certified police narcotics-detection dog alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle and found a small baggie containing cocaine residue on the seat where Larry had been sitting. They also recovered a Smith and Wesson handgun from under the front-passenger seat, and a loaded high-capacity magazine from the glovebox directly in front of the front-passenger seat. FMPD personnel were later able to positively identify a latent palmprint lifted from the loaded magazine as belonging to Larry. At the time, Larry was a convicted felon who had only recently been released from prison for selling fentanyl. As a convicted felon, Larry is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.

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 our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department 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 the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.