Nine-Time Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Loaded Firearm
Fort Myers, Florida – Lanorris Williams (31, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, on September 20, 2019, an officer from the Fort Myers Police Department and an ATF task force agent observed Williams driving a red BMW. When Williams noticed the officers, he fled at a high rate of speed through intersections and residential neighborhoods. Eventually, an innocent motorist t-boned Williams at the intersection of Canal and Ford Streets, spinning Williams into a nearby ditch, where he was arrested. On the driver’s side floorboard of the BMW, officers found Williams’s loaded Glock pistol.
During the past 11 years, Williams has been convicted of 9 felonies, including multiple drug offenses, burglaries, and thefts and, is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
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