Marion County Felon Convicted of Drug Conspiracy and Illegal Firearm Possession

Marion County Felon Convicted of Drug Conspiracy and Illegal Firearm Possession

Ocala, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Nishera Remon Johnson (41, Silver Springs Shores) guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance (methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana) and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Johnson faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, and up to life in federal prison, for the firearm offense and a minimum mandatory 10 years, and up to life imprisonment, for the drug offense. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 22, 2022. A grand jury had indicted Johnson on September 2, 2020.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on November 26, 2019, investigators searched a vehicle belonging to Johnson and found nearly two pounds of methamphetamine. They also found evidence of a marijuana grow operation at Johnson's residence. When that home was searched pursuant to a warrant in December 2020, agents located numerous firearms and ammunition along with nearly half a kilogram of powder cocaine. In a shed behind the home, agents discovered the hidden marijuana grow operation. Johnson had been living at the home with her minor child and a co-defendant. Johnson, a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the City of Ocala Police Department, and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

This case is being 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.