Gainesville felon sentenced to federal prison for unlawful possession of firearm
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jomekia Archer, 46, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of 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, “I applaud the investigative work by the Gainesville Police Department, with support from our federal law enforcement partners, which facilitated our successful prosecution of this violent offender. Keeping our communities safe from the predations of violent felons, like this defendant, is a top priority for my office.”
Original arrest
Archer was originally arrested on March 14, 2026, for pointing a rifle at a group of neighbors that included children.
At about 10:29 p.m. on March 14, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a home in Lincoln Estates, where the victims said Archer was angry because somebody had parked a car in front of her home. The victims said Archer became belligerent and started yelling and cursing at them and telling them to move their cars.
The victims said Archer kept saying, “I got some for y’all,” and at one point, she went inside her home and came out with a rifle, which she held at her hip while pointing it at the victims, including several children. The victims said they were in fear for their lives and started getting the children indoors; one victim called 911.
Archer went back into her house briefly but then came out, holding the rifle, and pointed it at the victims again. When one victim said she was calling law enforcement, Archer reportedly said, “Call who you wanna call, I don’t give a [expletive].” Archer reportedly went back inside her house and then came out without the rifle.
The subsequent investigation determined the rifle had been previously reported stolen out of Polk County, Texas. Archer had been previously convicted of possession of cocaine and sale of cannabis and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler Fleming prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.