Department of Justice

FORT MYERS, Fla. — U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jddarrian Christopher Irons, 33, Fort Myers, today pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Irons faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court records, on Oct. 5, 2023, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Irons was the front seat passenger. During the traffic stop, Irons initially misidentified himself to officers by providing a false name and date of birth. Then, when officers searched the car, they found a loaded Smith and Wesson handgun in a fanny pack wedged between the front passenger seat—where Irons had been sitting—and the door. Just minutes earlier before getting into the vehicle, Irons had been seen wearing the fanny pack in a nearby apartment complex. As a multi-convicted felon who had recently been released from a seven-year state prison sentence, Irons is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.     

This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon Eth.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

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