Gainesville man indicted on federal charge of unlawful possession of a silencer

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dean Allen Harper, 55, has been indicted in federal court for possession of an unmarked and unregistered firearm/silencer. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge.

Harper appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for March 25, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida.

Harper faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Original arrest

Harper was originally arrested in Gainesville on December 16, 2025, on a warrant that was issued following a traffic stop for a stop sign violation on November 21.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reported that he recognized Harper, the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, from previous criminal investigations and noted that he “exhibited numerous nervous indicators of illegal activity,” including inconsistent statements, the inability to stand still, mood swings, and “even what appear[ed] to be crying.” Harper reportedly denied consent to search his vehicle, so a K-9 team responded, and the K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle.

As soon as deputies started searching the vehicle, the arresting deputy reported that Harper became emotional and said something like, “Don’t do this to me, man.” The search reportedly produced about 6.7 grams of methamphetamines, two rifles, seven rounds of 300 Blackout armor-piercing ammunition in a magazine, a pistol with a homemade silencer made from an automotive oil filter, 22 rounds of .22 ammunition and four magazines for the pistol, a second pistol with a loaded magazine, handgun ammunition that didn’t match either pistol, a book with instructions for making improvised munitions, receipts for firearms in Harper’s name, and a methamphetamine pipe. One of the rifles, a .300 Blackout short-barreled rifle, had an auto sear trigger device that allows for rapid fire.

Post Miranda, Harper reportedly said all of the guns were his and admitted that he added the homemade silencer to the pistol and the auto sear trigger device to the rifle.

Case is a joint investigation between ATF and ASO

The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

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, 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.

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.