Mar’keise Bates, a 31-year-old resident of Jacksonville, has been sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan handed down the sentence after Bates pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025.
The incident occurred on March 3, 2025, when police responded to a disturbance at the River City Inn. According to court documents, a hotel employee reported that she had asked Bates to leave the premises but he returned with what appeared to be a gun in his waistband. The employee also witnessed another individual running away while stating that Bates had pulled a gun on him.
Police reviewed surveillance footage from the hotel which showed Bates holding and pointing a firearm at another person before fleeing the scene. Officers later apprehended Bates and recovered a Beretta M9 9mm semi-automatic pistol from one of the hotel rooms. Records show that prior to this incident, Bates had been convicted of several felonies including felony battery, robbery, aggravated battery upon a pregnant female, and sale of cocaine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney prosecuted the matter.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
