GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ramone Ron Young Jr., 34, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, federal prosecutors announced. The case was reported by John P. Heekin, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Heekin said the prosecution reflects his office’s focus on removing violent, dangerous felons from the community. He credited the Gainesville Police Department and its federal law enforcement partners with the investigation, adding that, under President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche, federal prosecutors are pursuing cases intended to promote safer communities.
Original arrest
Gainesville police were called to a reported armed disturbance at a residence in the Northeast Neighbors area at about 1 a.m. on May 28, 2026. Officers encountered Young outside the home. After pointing their firearms at him and asking where the weapon was, officers said Young denied having a gun before he was placed in handcuffs.
According to the victim, a blood relative who lived in the residence, she and Young had been arguing when he became angry, drew a black handgun and aimed it at her head. She told investigators that Young threatened to kill her, then fled outside and tossed the gun into the front yard. The victim said no one else witnessed the confrontation, although Young was speaking with his mother by phone during the incident.
A police K-9 team later located a loaded black FMK .40-caliber handgun in a bush in the front yard.
Young could receive a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 23, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor at the federal courthouse in Gainesville.
The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Fleming is handling the prosecution.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative for coordinating federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement with prosecutors and other public safety agencies to combat violent crime. U.S. attorneys’ offices in all 94 federal districts tailor the program to local crime and safety concerns. As part of Operation Take Back America, PSN focuses on a rapid federal response, stronger partnerships across law enforcement agencies, and accountability through the prosecution of serious, provable offenses. The department says those efforts also support President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces in addressing major public safety threats.