Repeat felon sentenced to two years in prison for firearm offense

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert Anthony Yancy, Jr., 25, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as 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, “The safety of our communities is not negotiable, and we will not yield control of our streets to serial felons, like this defendant, who have amply demonstrated their outright refusal to follow the law. My office will aggressively prosecute these cases to deliver the safe, crime-free streets our citizens deserve.”

Original arrest

Yancy was arrested on January 2, 2026, after a traffic stop for non-working taillights and tag lights. An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reported smelling marijuana and then reported that marijuana “shake” was in plain view on the center console. A probable cause search of the vehicle reportedly produced a handgun in a bag behind the passenger seat; Yancy reportedly made spontaneous statements indicating that he knew he was a felon and shouldn’t have had the firearm, but he was in the process of moving to a new apartment.

Upon his release, Yancy will be subject to three years’ supervised release. 

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner 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.