TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Deonte Deangelo Hill, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison 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: "This serial offender has demonstrated that the only way our community can be kept safe from his criminal behavior is by keeping him incarcerated in federal prison. Thanks to the excellent work of our state and federal law enforcement partners, and this successful prosecution by my office, that is exactly where he will remain. The residents of the Northern District of Florida deserve to live in safe communities, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute violent offenders like this defendant to deliver that safety."

Court documents reflect that on September 21, 2024, Hill shot an AK-47-style rifle into the air in the parking lot of the Griffin Heights Apartment Complex in Tallahassee. Officers located the defendant and the car used to leave Griffin Heights at another nearby apartment complex, where he fled on foot. After catching the defendant, officers located an AK-47-style rifle in the driver's floorboard where the defendant had been. A photograph of the firearm was also found on the defendant's cellphone.

Hill has previous federal convictions from 2012 for two counts of distribution of cocaine for which he served a 15-month sentence, and from 2017 for possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone and cocaine base, for which he served an 84-month sentence. He also has prior state convictions for possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.

When Hill is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for a period of five years.

The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

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.

As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney's Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.

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.