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Press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a federal court in Gainesville, Dean Allen Harper, aged 55, has admitted guilt to the charge of possessing an unmarked and unregistered silencer, considered a firearm under federal regulations. This development was shared by John P. Heekin, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Expressing gratitude for the diligent efforts of law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Heekin stated, “I commend our state and federal partners for their outstanding investigative work in removing dangerous, armed criminals from our streets. My office stands ready to support their frontline efforts with vigorous prosecutions through the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America initiative, aimed at protecting our communities from violent offenders.”
According to court documents, on November 21, 2025, law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle Harper was driving. Inside, they discovered a cache of firearms, ammunition, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Harper’s arsenal included two rifles, two pistols, several magazines, and various types of ammunition, some of which were armor-piercing. One of the pistols was equipped with a homemade suppressor fashioned from an automotive oil filter:
This makeshift silencer, attached to the pistol’s barrel via an aftermarket threaded attachment, bore no serial number and was not recorded in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Click here for Alachua Chronicle’s report on his arrest.
At sentencing, the defendant faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.