Kewhan Landrum, 19, and Deyonte’ Betties, 21, both from Pensacola, Florida, have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a machinegun. Landrum received a sentence of 36 months while Betties was sentenced to 40 months. The announcement came from John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “I sincerely appreciate the excellent work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this case and help bring these two defendants to justice. This is yet another win for the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, and fulfills the promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to aggressively target violent criminals to improve the safety of our communities.”
Court records show that in October 2024, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office confiscated a Glock pistol from Landrum that had been modified with a machinegun conversion device. This allowed it to operate as a fully automatic weapon. Authorities determined that Landrum obtained this firearm from Betties and also found evidence that Betties possessed several other firearms equipped with similar devices. Both individuals were involved in trading firearms and narcotics.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative designed by the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime through coordinated efforts like those of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices nationwide serving as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. More information about public court documents can be found at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
