PENSACOLA FELON SENTENCED FOR FIREARM OFFENSE (DOJ)

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Earl Vincent Hudgins III, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to three years in federal prison followed by a three-year term of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Thanks to the outstanding work of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office and our federal law enforcement partners, another dangerous felon was stopped before he could continue terrorizing our community with violence, and with this successful prosecution by my office he will be kept off our streets for several years. My office will continue fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi when they launched Operation Take Back America to protect our communities from dangerous felons like this defendant."

Court documents reflect that on February 16, 2025, the defendant's vehicle was stopped for a traffic infraction. A subsequent search uncovered an AR-style firearm loaded with 15 rounds of .300-caliber ammunition, which the defendant was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon. Later, law enforcement identified multiple posts on the defendant's social media showing him in possession of the same firearm located during the traffic stop. The defendant also posted a video during the traffic stop captioned, "Bout to go to jail."

This case was a joint investigation by Escambia County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, human and drug trafficking.

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.