April 22, 2008
For more information contact:
Supervisory AUSA Karen E. Rhew
(850) 942-8430
TALLAHASSEE MAN SENTENCED FOR VIOLATION OF THE ADAM WALSH ACT
Tallahassee - Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced that GENE FELIX AMBERT, 56, of Tallahassee, Florida was sentenced yesterday to 37 months’ imprisonment on the federal charge of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, in violation of the Adam Walsh Act. The Adam Walsh Act, which was signed into law on July 27, 2006, the 25th anniversary of Adam Walsh’s abduction and murder, requires a convicted sex offender to register and maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, is employed, or is a student. The Act created federal standards for the registration of sex offenders, requiring more stringent supervision of such offenders. Violators of this Act can be charged with a federal felony punishable by up to ten years in prison if they fail to register.
Ambert failed to register as a sex offender in the state of Florida after having been convicted in California of a sex offense against a child under the age of fourteen. On October 12, 2007, Ambert pled guilty to the failure to register charge in United States District Court in Tallahassee. Prior to entering his guilty plea, defendant moved to dismiss the Indictment on the ground that the Adam Walsh Act was unconstitutional. The Court rejected defendant’s challenge to the statute and denied his motion to dismiss. Yesterday, United States District Judge Stephan P. Mickle sentenced the defendant to a term of 37 months’ imprisonment to be followed by 25 years of supervised release.
The defendant was arrested by the North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force which is spearheaded by the United States Marshals Service and is comprised of law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Miller commended the investigative efforts of the Marshals Service and the Tallahassee Police Department, who investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Winifred Acosta NeSmith prosecuted the case.