In a recent court ruling, U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced Sammie Ray Sewell, Jr., a 43-year-old from Alexandria, Louisiana, to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. This decision continues to highlight the weighty consequences of violating federal gun laws.
Sewell, who pleaded guilty on September 16, 2024, was caught with a loaded pistol and an extended magazine at a hotel in Fort Myers. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida report, a detective from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office discovered him at the hotel while he had extraditable warrants pending from Louisiana.
According to court documents, a detective from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office located Sewell at a Fort Myers hotel with a chamber loaded pistol with an extended magazine.
Court documents acknowledged that as a convicted felon, Sewell is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition under federal law.
The investigation into Sewell’s case was conducted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan prosecuted the case.