PENSACOLA MAN FEDERALLY CHARGED WITH ARSON

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Gregory E. Simonds Jr., 42, of Pensacola, has been indicted in federal court for arson by means of an explosive damaging a building located at 792 Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach and causing personal injury. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges.

Simonds is scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon on August 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. for his initial appearance at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida.

If convicted, Simonds faces a minimum mandatory of seven years' imprisonment up to a maximum term of 40 years' imprisonment.

The indictment was the result of a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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 https://http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.