Department of Justice

Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Cornelius Michael Turner (34, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. Turner received 15 years on each count, to be served concurrently. He had pleaded guilty on October 21, 2021. 

According to court documents, in May 2019, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Turner’s vehicle, but Turner fled from the officers. Turner eventually stopped his vehicle in a restaurant parking lot but refused the officers’ commands to exit his vehicle. While Turner was in his vehicle, officers observed Turner stuffing things down his pants. Officers removed Turner from his vehicle, and during a subsequent pat down, a loaded firearm and fentanyl were found in Turner’s pants. At the time of the incident, Turner had multiple prior felony drug convictions and, therefore, is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

This case was 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.