Department of Justice

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Devontae D. Hunter (25, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Hunter faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Hunter brandished a Glock pistol in a video he had uploaded to his Instagram account on September 11, 2021. Two days later, during a traffic stop, Hunter fled from law enforcement officers on foot and dropped the same Glock pistol he had displayed in the Instagram video, which was configured with an extended magazine and loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition. Hunter had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including a conviction for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, robbery, and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Callan Albritton.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.