GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jomekia Archer, 46, has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin of the Northern District of Florida announced.
“I applaud the investigative work by the Gainesville Police Department, with support from our federal law enforcement partners, which facilitated our successful prosecution of this violent offender,” Heekin said. “Keeping our communities safe from the predations of violent felons, like this defendant, is a top priority for my office.”
Original arrest
Archer was initially arrested March 14, 2026, after she allegedly pointed a rifle at a group of neighbors that included children.
Gainesville Police Department officers were called at about 10:29 p.m. that night to a residence in Lincoln Estates. According to the victims, Archer became upset over a vehicle parked in front of her home, then began yelling, cursing and demanding that the group move their cars.
Victims told investigators that Archer repeatedly said, “I got some for y’all,” before going inside and returning with a rifle. She allegedly held the weapon at her hip and pointed it toward the group, including several children. Fearing for their lives, the victims began taking the children indoors, and one person called 911.
Archer briefly went back inside, according to the victims, but returned holding the rifle and pointed it at them again. After one victim said law enforcement was being called, Archer reportedly responded, “Call who you wanna call, I don’t give a [expletive].” She then went back inside and later emerged without the weapon.
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Investigators later determined that the rifle had been reported stolen in Polk County, Texas. Archer had prior convictions for possession of cocaine and sale of cannabis, making her legally barred from possessing a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Fleming prosecuted it.
Project Safe Neighborhoods, or PSN, is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that unites federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and other public-safety partners to coordinate efforts against violent crime. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices across all 94 federal districts, the program is designed to address the specific violent-crime and public-safety challenges facing individual communities. As a key part of Operation Take Back America, PSN supports the department’s commitment to public safety through rapid federal action against violent crime, strategic partnerships among law enforcement agencies and accountability through prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses. The initiative also complements President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces to provide a comprehensive federal response to urgent public-safety concerns.