Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Connection with Mailing Firearms to the U.S. Virgin Islands
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Quem Stephen Clive Dixon (24, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to three counts of making a false statement to a firearms dealer, three counts of transferring a firearm across state lines, and one count of selling a firearm to a convicted felon. Dixon faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment on each false statement count, 5 years in prison on each count of transferring a firearm to a nonresident, and 10 years’ imprisonment on the single count of selling a firearm to a convicted felon.
Dixon was indicted on February 5, 2014.
According to court documents, Dixon purchased firearms from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) between the dates of October 18, 2012 and November 1, 2013. During these purchases, Dixon lied on multiple Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms (ATF Form 4473) so that he could obtain firearms for a convicted felon residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands, whom had recently been released from jail following a manslaughter conviction. Dixon mailed these firearms from Orlando to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Orlando, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Virgin Islands Police Department and Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher LaForgia.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.
###