FLORIDA – A Florida man with a violent past has been sentenced to prison for possessing a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO), Markeith West, 28, of Fort Lauderdale, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the court record, on May 30, 2021, a Fort Lauderdale Police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by West and detained him on outstanding warrants. Before the vehicle was towed, an inventory search was conducted that reportedly revealed a black 9mm Masada pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition in the vehicle’s center console.
The firearm was processed for DNA evidence which reportedly linked West to it.
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According to the USAO, prior to May 2021, West had been convicted of several felony offenses, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, strongarm robbery, felony battery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. West was placed under arrest and later released on bond.
In June 2022, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) learned that West had an Instagram account where he posted photographs and streamed live videos of himself in possession of firearms and ammunition magazines, the USAO said. Agents began monitoring the account and said they were able to determine the location depicted in the images.
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On June 28, 2022, a search warrant was executed on that location, and agents said they found an American Tactical, Omni Hybrid, multi-caliber rifle and a Glock model G45, 9×19 (9mm) caliber pistol equipped with a loaded 30-round magazine.
In August 2022, West pled guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson, ATF, Miami Field Division, made the announcement.
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ATF, Fort Lauderdale Field Office, investigated the case with assistance from Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anita White prosecuted it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
