Pensacola felon pleads guilty to federal gun & drug crimes (DOJ)

Pensacola, Florida - EP Hall, 42, of Pensacola, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the plea.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases until criminals realize we have zero-tolerance for lawlessness in the Northern District of Florida. The citizens of our District deserve to live on safe, drug-free streets, and that is exactly what I intend to deliver with more successful prosecutions like this one."

Court documents showed that, in March 2026, the defendant was encountered by law enforcement while walking in a public roadway in Pensacola with a loaded revolver in his waistband and wearing a fanny pack containing crack cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. As a previously convicted felon, the defendant was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 10, 2026, in Pensacola, Florida before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. Hall faces up to 15 years' imprisonment for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and up to three years' imprisonment for possession of a controlled substance due to a prior drug-related conviction.

The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

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 FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.