Six Individuals From Americana Corridor of South Orlando Indicted for Federal Firearm and Drug Trafficking Offenses

Orlando, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of six separate indictments charging Rodney Griffin (33, Orlando), Felix Warren (40, Orlando), Dave Stephen Alfred (27, Orlando), Junior Jeffrey Alexis (20, Orlando), Donte Antwan Gedeon (24, Orlando), and James Edward Walker (32, Orlando) with firearm and drug trafficking offenses.  Griffin, Warren, Alfred, Alexis, and Gedeon have been taken into custody.  If convicted, Griffin and Warren each face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as an armed career criminal.  Alfred, Alexis, Gedeon, and Walker each face a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Alfred and Warren also face drug trafficking charges carrying a maximum term of 20 years of imprisonment.

These indictments are a part of an interagency initiative to target the Americana corridor of South Orlando, which has been plagued by gun related violence.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and Orlando Police Department.  They will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher LaForgia and Embry Kidd.

These cases are being prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Trevor Velinor, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improve the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.