Ralphael Roy Caldwell, a 35-year-old resident of Pensacola, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after being found guilty by a jury for possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “Fulfilling the promise of President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from violent criminals requires close collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, like we saw in this case. I am very appreciative of the outstanding work of the Pensacola Police Department and the ATF to get this criminal off our streets, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our communities safe from violent criminals.”
The conviction stemmed from an incident on September 10, 2024, when Caldwell was stopped by law enforcement and found with a loaded pistol in his waistband. Caldwell admitted ownership of the weapon during the stop. Prior records show he had been previously convicted for principal to attempted home invasion robbery with a firearm and shooting into a building.
The investigation leading to Caldwell’s prosecution involved cooperation between the Pensacola Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ), which is an initiative designed to use resources from various Justice Department programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and address violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida operates as one of 94 offices nationwide serving under the direction of the Attorney General. Additional information about public court documents can be found at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or through http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
