Serial felon sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Curtis Lee Smith-Carter, 28, has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for 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, “Our citizens deserve to live in communities without dangerous, armed criminals – like this serial felon – threatening their safety. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to ensure we deliver on that promise.”

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 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.

Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya said, “Those who have been convicted of a felony and choose to possess a firearm put our community at risk and will be held accountable.”

The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. 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.