Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced To Over Ten Years For Drug Trafficking And Firearms Offenses

Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Antione Oshea Ladson (29, Orlando) to 10 years and 6 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Ladson pleaded guilty on July 11, 2023.

According to court documents, on August 27, 2022, Ladson checked into a hotel in Orlando. While walking through an outdoor breezeway, Ladson encountered another man walking past him. After a brief verbal confrontation with the man, Ladson lifted his modified pistol and shot the man in the neck using a caliber of ammunition similar to that commonly found in military assault rifles (shell casing pictured below). The man survived the shooting.

On November 16, 2022, Ladson was apprehended by law enforcement at a convenience store in Orlando. Beneath a grocery shelf that Ladson was seen lifting, officers found a fanny pack containing Ladson’s wallet and Social Security card, two digital scales used for weighing narcotics, a pistol magazine, and plastic baggies containing cocaine and marijuana. Underneath Ladson’s fanny pack was a Glock 23 pistol loaded with 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition. At the time, Ladson had multiple prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing both firearms and ammunition under federal law.  Ladson was arrested on state charges and subsequently released on bond.

On December 27, 2022, members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Enforcement Unit observed Ladson driving near Orange Blossom Trail and initiated a traffic stop. A search of Ladson’s car revealed an XD9 firearm with 19 rounds of live ammunition, an additional 12-round magazine fully loaded with 9mm rounds, a drum-style magazine (pictured below), 4.8 grams of crack cocaine, and 61.4 grams of marijuana. Photographs of the firearm and drum magazine below:

Court documents further showed that Ladson frequently livestreamed himself driving around the Orlando area while fully armed, often with modified weapons (video stills below):

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Enforcement Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.

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.