Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Alex Winters (43, Leesburg) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Winters, who qualifies as an Armed Career Criminal based upon his criminal history, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Winters was indicted on February 24, 2021.
According to testimony presented at trial, on May 7, 2020, deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office stopped a car for a traffic violation. After a deputy noted the smell of marijuana, the car was searched. Beneath Winters’s seat, deputies found a loaded 9mm pistol and fanny pack containing distribution amounts of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and eutylone. Also in the fanny pack, deputies found a digital scale, baggies, a drug ledger, and 9mm ammunition. Winters’s DNA was later analyzed and compared to DNA swabs taken from the firearm and he was determined to be a possible contributor.
This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Reichling and Mark Morgan.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.