Serial felon pleads guilty to federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Curtis Lee Smith-Carter, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Removing this serial felon from our streets achieves one of the key goals of Operation Take Back America, which devotes the full might of the Department of Justice toward protecting our communities from violent criminals. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute and seek maximum punishments for repeat offenders, like this defendant, to deliver the safe streets and neighborhoods the citizens of the Northern District of Florida deserve!”

Original arrest

Smith-Carter was arrested on November 8, 2025, after a Gainesville Police Department officer noticed that Smith-Carter picked up his backpack and walked away as soon as he saw the officer pull into the back lot of Food Max (1304 E. University Avenue), which the officer described as a “high drug and crime area.”

The officer reported that Smith-Carter started running toward the front of the store, and when the officer got out of his car and told Smith-Carter to stop (including warnings that a K-9 was at the scene), Smith-Carter allegedly continued running, discarded his backpack into a pile of hot ashes where a fire was burning, and threw a .32 caliber pistol over the chain link fence. The officer reported that Smith-Carter’s backpack contained a holster that “perfectly fit” the handgun that was found on the other side of the fence.

Post Miranda, Smith-Carter reportedly admitted to possessing a handgun, although he has nine felony convictions; he said he found it and kept it because he doesn’t like to fight. Smith-Carter was originally arrested on state charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, and resisting an officer without violence, but those charges were dropped after the federal indictment was filed.

Smith-Carter is being held without bail until his federal trial.

Faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment

Smith-Carter faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Gainesville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 21, 2026, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before United States Chief District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

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.