Lee County Felon Sentenced To Prison For Unlawfully Possessing A Loaded Firearm

Fort Myers, FL - U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Caleb Frank Hamm (21, Lee County) to 30 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm. Hamm entered a guilty plea on May 24, 2024.

According to court documents, on September 15, 2023, a deputy from the Lee County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Hamm was driving and observed indicators of alcohol impairment. Hamm, a convicted felon and state probationer, was subsequently arrested for DUI and his vehicle was searched before it was towed from the scene. Inside the center console of the vehicle deputies located Hamm's loaded, unserialized, Glock-style 9mm handgun equipped with a high-capacity magazine and a machinegun conversion device. As a previously convicted felon, Hamm is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States 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 our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department 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 the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.