TWO YOUNG MALES SENTENCED FOR POSSESSION OF A MACHINEGUN

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kewhan Landrum, 19, and Deyonte’ Betties, 21, of Pensacola, Florida, were sentenced to 36 months and 40 months, respectively, in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I sincerely appreciate the excellent work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case and help bring these two defendants to justice.  This is yet another win for the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, and fulfills the promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively target violent criminals to improve the safety of our communities.”

According to court records, in October of 2024, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized a Glock pistol from Landrum’s possession. The pistol had a machinegun conversion device attached to it, allowing it to function and fire as a machinegun. Law enforcement discovered Landrum acquired the weapon from Betties.  Law enforcement also discovered evidence that Betties was in possession of several other firearms with machinegun conversion devices. Landrum and Betties had consistently been engaged in trading firearms and narcotics.

The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.