Sincere M. Perkins, a 25-year-old resident of Tallahassee, Florida, has been found guilty by a federal jury of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a machine gun. The verdict was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Thanks to the outstanding collaboration between our local and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case, and this successful prosecution by my office, our community will be made safer while this violent felon finds himself in federal prison. With this conviction, we take yet another step toward fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the perpetrators of violent crime who have plagued our streets for far too long.”
During the trial, evidence showed that members of the United States Marshals Task Force located Perkins at an apartment in Tallahassee due to an outstanding arrest warrant. A search revealed multiple firearms in the apartment, including a pistol modified to function as a machine gun.
Ballistics analysis linked two recovered firearms to shell casings from an earlier shooting incident in Quincy, Florida. DNA evidence tied Perkins to both weapons used in that shooting. Additionally, recorded jail calls indicated that Perkins knowingly possessed these firearms despite his status as a previously convicted felon.
Perkins is scheduled for sentencing on February 9, 2026 at 2:30 p.m., before Chief United States District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The investigation involved several agencies: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Marshals Service; Quincy Police Department; Tallahassee Police Department; with support from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative using Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and organized crime groups while aiming to protect communities from violent offenders.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also urges residents to lock their car doors—especially overnight—as thefts from unlocked vehicles are a major source of guns ending up with criminals in northern Florida.
For more information about public court documents or about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
