FLORIDA – In a grim twist of justice, Brian Keith Speights, the 68-year-old drug kingpin from Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to escaping federal custody at a halfway house. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced that Speights will now face up to five years in prison for his brazen escape.
Speights was arrested on January 20, 2025, in Jacksonville and has been in federal custody ever since. His sentencing hearing is set for November 19, 2025. According to court documents, the defendant was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison in 2019 after being convicted of using his residence in Jacksonville to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and possessing several firearms for illegal drug trafficking.
In May 2024, Speights was transferred to the Bridges Reintegration Center in Jacksonville. His application for transfer stated clearly that any failure to remain within the confines of his confinement would be deemed an escape. On January 2, 2025, Speights absconded from the halfway house without authorization and failed to return.
The defendant was located at a residence in Jacksonville on January 20, 2025, and arrested by deputies from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The United States Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, which is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide effort to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.
Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown is prosecuting this case. Speights’ guilty plea underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to holding criminals accountable for their actions.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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