Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Douglas Lanier Hogan (31, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on two separate occasions. Hogan had pleaded guilty on August 12, 2020.

According to court documents, in July 2019, a cooperating defendant and a confidential informant, who were working at the direction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, began purchasing crack cocaine from Hogan and his co-defendant, Terrence Eugene Watts, at a motel in Jacksonville. During at least one of these purchases, both Hogan and Watts were armed with pistols. In early August 2019, Hogan, a convicted felon, sold a .357 caliber pistol to the cooperating defendant. In late August 2019, Hogan again sold crack cocaine to the cooperating defendant and confidential informant from a residence in Jacksonville. In September 2019, Hogan sold crack cocaine to the confidential informant from another residence. During that transaction, Hogan possessed a pistol with an extended magazine, which he had offered to sell for $500. In October 2019, Hogan was arrested at one of the residences, inside of which were controlled substances and a drug scale. Hogan later admitted that he had sold drugs and that he had been to prison before and knew he could not possess firearms.

Terrence Eugene Watts previously pleaded guilty for his role in this case. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

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