Sincere M. Perkins, a 25-year-old resident of Tallahassee, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after being found guilty by a jury of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a machine gun. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “My office continues to produce successful prosecutions under Operation Take Back America, which was launched by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward removing violent felons like this defendant from our communities. Our residents deserve to feel safe on our streets, and that is exactly what we will accomplish by aggressively prosecuting violent thugs who threaten our communities and sending them to federal prison.”
The trial revealed that members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located Perkins at an apartment in Tallahassee while executing an outstanding arrest warrant. After officers called out for him, Perkins emerged and was taken into custody. A search of the apartment uncovered several firearms, including a pistol modified to function as a machine gun.
Investigators linked two recovered firearms through ballistics testing to shell casings found at a Quincy shooting about six weeks earlier in which two teenagers were shot. DNA evidence connected Perkins to both weapons used in that incident, and a recorded jail call showed he knowingly possessed them. At sentencing, the judge determined Perkins had been one of the shooters.
Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal commented: “The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force goes after the worst of the worst. Working with law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal level, our mission is to quickly locate and apprehend dangerous felons like Sincere Perkins before they can victimize anyone else. The evidence in this case clearly demonstrates that the community is safer with Perkins behind bars.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Marshal Service; Quincy Police Department; State Attorney’s Office for the Second Judicial Circuit; Tallahassee Police Department; with support from Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—an initiative designed to use all available resources from the Department of Justice against illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while targeting perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office encourages residents to lock their vehicles at night since unlocked cars are frequently targeted for gun thefts in northern Florida.
For more information about ongoing cases or accessing court documents online, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
