Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Deangelo A. Rome, 25, of Pensacola, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.  The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During his guilty plea, Rome admitted that, in February 2015, a law enforcement officer discovered a running vehicle with Rome unresponsive in the driver’s seat and located a loaded handgun in view under Rome’s seat.

Later, in December 2015, law enforcement responded to a “shots fired” disturbance call.  A shooting victim was located, and the residence had bullet holes through a sliding glass door.  Multiple shell casings and a loaded magazine were found on the scene.  A fingerprint on the loaded magazine matched that of Rome.

A few days later, law enforcement responded to a call of armed individuals, who, after fleeing, were tracked to a residence with a vehicle in the driveway.  A deputy saw an assault rifle in the vehicle, and ammunition was also found on the premises.  During a search of the premises, Rome was located hiding under a bed.  The rifle inside the vehicle had both a palm print and DNA evidence belonging to Rome, and Rome’s fingerprint was also located on a separate box of ammunition.

For each of the three firearm charges, Rome faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.  The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 18, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

The case resulted from investigations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the ATF Gun Crime Response Team.  Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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