Armed Career Criminal Sentenced To 15 Years For Illegally Possessing A Firearm

Jacksonville, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Otis Shivers (51, Jacksonville) to 15 years in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Shivers pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024. 

According to court records, on October 29, 2021, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) were on patrol and observed Shivers talking loudly to himself. Officers approached Shivers and immediately observed that he had a firearm in his waistband. The officers secured the firearm, a loaded revolver, and conducted a records search on Shivers. Officers discovered that Shivers had multiple prior felony convictions, including sale of heroin in 2009, sale of cocaine in 2007, sale of cocaine in 2003, and sale of cocaine in 1991. Shivers had been sentenced to Florida state prison on three prior occasions, including a 10-year sentence for selling heroin, thus qualifying him for an enhanced penalty as an Armed Career Criminal.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.