Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Machine Gun Possession and Postal Crimes in Tallahassee
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida announced that Yasir Jaimon Za'Quis Hawkins, 20, of Tallahassee, in Leon County, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal possession of a machine gun, possession of a Postal Service key, and possession of stolen mail. U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced the plea.
According to court documents, on May 7, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hawkins's residence after he posted numerous images of himself on social media with a firearm equipped with a machine gun conversion device. The conversion device was found during the search.
Officers also discovered 53 stolen checks and money orders in Hawkins's bedroom, along with a Postal arrow key. The checks and money orders totaled approximately $25,000 in stolen funds and originated from at least 40 different victims.
U.S. Attorney Heekin commended the Leon County Sheriff's Office and federal law enforcement partners for catching the defendant and recovering funds stolen from dozens of victims.
Hawkins faces up to 10 years in prison on the machine gun count, up to 10 years on the Postal Service key count, and up to five years on the stolen mail count. Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma Schwan is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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