West Palm Beach Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Possession of Machinegun (DOJ)

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Justin Lombard, 22, of West Palm Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court, to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a machine gun. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.

United States Attorney Heekin said: "This is yet another successful prosecution under Operation Take Back America, which was launched by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to deploy the full might of the Department of Justice toward protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and drug trafficking. This defendant and other would-be traffickers will find that running drugs and illegal firearms through the Northern District of Florida is a one-way ticket to federal prison."

Court documents reflect that on the night of February 11, 2025, the defendant was stopped by a Tallahassee Police Department officer for driving with his headlights turned off. During the traffic stop, law enforcement detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and confirmed that the defendant did not have a medical marijuana card. During the search of the defendant's vehicle, law enforcement located a backpack containing three mason jars of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia consistent with the distribution of marijuana. They also located a bag containing a privately made firearm (PMF), specifically a 9-millimeter pistol that had been modified to fire as a machinegun.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida before District Court Judge Mark E. Walker.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo is prosecuting the case.

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.