Lake County Convicted Felon Facing Up To 15 Years In Federal Prison For Illegally Possessing A Firearm (DOJ)

Ocala, Florida - United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Gregory Coleman III (28, Leesburg) has been arrested on an indictment charging him with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. If convicted, Coleman faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

According to the court records, Coleman has been convicted of four state felonies, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting law enforcement with violence, fleeing or attempting to elude, and possession of cocaine. Following these convictions, on November 4, 2023, Coleman sold a firearm to a confidential source who was working with federal law enforcement. Coleman told the source that he had more firearms, but he wanted to keep them for himself. As a convicted felon, Coleman is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eustis Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).