Department of Justice

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Niko Wimbley (30, Tampa) to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Wimbley had pleaded guilty on January 12, 2023.

According to court documents, on December 26, 2021, Wimbley was driving a stolen sedan with another convicted felon as his passenger. Both men were armed with fully loaded, semi-automatic pistols. Wimbley and his passenger were arrested that night during a traffic stop in the Rivergrove neighborhood of Tampa, near the intersection of East Sligh Avenue and Rowlett Park Drive. The officers had followed the stolen vehicle until Wimbley and the passenger exited the car. When ordered to stop, both men fled on foot, leaving behind their loaded semi-automatic pistols in the stolen vehicle. During a search of the stolen car, the officers recovered a loaded black SCCY CPX-1 9mm pistol on the driver’s seat, and a loaded black Springfield XDS (HS Produkt) .45 caliber pistol in the passenger side footwell. Wimbley’s DNA was found on the SCCY CPX-1 pistol. Wimbley agreed to forfeit the pistol and ammunition, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense.

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.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.