TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal jury in Tallahassee found an Atlanta man guilty of illegally possessing a firearm after investigators said they found a loaded handgun during a traffic stop tied to a human trafficking operation.
Jonathan Deon Morehead, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, was convicted following a trial on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The verdict was announced Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, by John P. Heekin, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The aggressive prosecutors in my office are relentlessly pursuing the dangerous criminals threatening the safety of our communities, and we continue to deliver successful prosecutions to send those criminals to federal prison where they belong. This case reaffirms what should already be abundantly clear: the Northern District of Florida has zero-tolerance for crime, and we won’t stop until we deliver the safe, crime-free streets that our citizens deserve.”
Trial testimony said that on May 28, 2026, law enforcement initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle Morehead was driving during an operation to locate possible victims of human trafficking. A female occupant was also in the vehicle.
During a probable cause search, officers found a loaded handgun in the center console, according to testimony. Prosecutors said Morehead tried to convince law enforcement that he was allowed to shoot firearms at gun ranges in Georgia despite being a convicted felon. He also admitted his fingerprints and DNA would be on the firearm but claimed the gun belonged to the female passenger.
Evidence recovered from Morehead’s phone later confirmed that he arranged the purchase of the firearm months earlier, in February 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Because he was a convicted felon, he could not legally possess a firearm.
Morehead faces up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2027, at 3 p.m. in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
The case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma Schwan is prosecuting the case.
The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime and improve public safety.