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Lonnie Washington Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Federal Firearm Offense

Lonnie Washington admitted to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon before being sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 15, 2026, 1:48 p.m. ET
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This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

More on this incident

According to official documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, 25-year-old Lonnie Washington of Gainesville pleaded guilty on April 28, 2026, to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Following his plea, U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti Washington on August 14, 2026, to five years and 10 months in federal prison. Official records state that Washington, a known member of the Fruit Town Brims gang with prior felony convictions including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, was apprehended on May 10, 2022, by a U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. Officers located him in Poinciana at the residence of gang leader Micheal Hankerson, where law enforcement recovered multiple firearms, including a CZ Scorpion Evo 3 semi-automatic firearm with a loaded 50-round drum magazine. A search of Washington's cellphone revealed a video recorded one week prior showing him holding the firearm. Official records also list that Hankerson was federally charged and found guilty in 2022 of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, receiving a six-year federal prison sentence.

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Revision history

  1. Version 115 Aug 2026, 17:42current

    First published.

  2. Version 115 Aug 2026, 17:27current

    First published.

  3. Version 115 Aug 2026, 17:48current

    First published.

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