HOMESTEAD MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSION OF MACHINEGUN BY A CONVICTED FELON

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Vinson Tavaris Brown, 33, of Homestead, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and illegal possession of a machinegun. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the vigilance of our local and federal law enforcement officers, this dangerous felon has been taken off our streets. Protecting our communities from criminals who show a complete disregard for the law remains my office’s top priority, and this successful prosecution is yet another step toward fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the dangerous felons who prowl our streets.”

Court documents reflect that the Tallahassee Police Department stopped a vehicle in which the defendant was a passenger after it made an illegal U-turn leaving Zingales Sports Bar. Three of the occupants of the vehicle complied with officers, but the defendant attempted to reach under his seat and then fled from officers on foot. Law enforcement caught the defendant and detained him, then discovered a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device and an extended magazine under the seat that the defendant had been attempting to reach.

Brown faces imprisonment for up to 25 years.

The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.