Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Darrell Pierre Hopkins (54, Dunnellon) with making a materially false statement in connection with the purchase of firearms and knowingly causing a licensed gun dealer to maintain false information in its official records. If convicted on both counts, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to court documents and evidence introduced in court, on or about November 23, 2021, Hopkins attempted to purchase two handguns from a federally licensed firearm dealer in Crystal River. While completing the mandatory firearm transaction paperwork, Hopkins certified that he had not previously been convicted of a felony. A criminal background check, however, revealed that Hopkins had prior felony convictions under an alias for robbery and conspiracy to deal cocaine. As a convicted felon, Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. When subsequently confronted by law enforcement, Hopkins admitted that he was the person who had attempted to purchase the firearms.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect.