JACKSONVILLE – Senior U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis sentenced D’eante Dek’ell-Waleed Corker, 25, of Orange Park, to two years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Corker was found guilty on Nov. 26 following a bench trial.  

According to court documents, on March 27, a Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Corker was driving. During the stop, an officer arrived and his canine was alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, which led to a search of Corker’s vehicle. During the search, a loaded Smith & Wesson pistol was found under the hood of the vehicle. Corker admitted to knowing about the firearm under the hood, and he was unable to lawfully possess firearms as a convicted felon.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and CCSO investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cannizzaro prosecuted.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer. 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.