Gregory Greer, Possessing Stolen Firearm, FL 2017

Gregory Greer (35), a five-time convicted felon, was found guilty by a federal jury in Jacksonville, Florida, on charges of possessing a firearm as a prohibited person. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Greer was indicted on September 21, 2017.

The confrontation unfolded on August 17, 2017, during an undercover operation at the Hometown Inn and Suites in Jacksonville’s Southpoint district. Detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office vice squad were arresting a woman on prostitution charges inside a hotel room when Greer knocked on the door. When a detective answered, Greer ignored the officer and repeatedly gestured toward the arrestee, attempting to draw her attention. He produced a Georgia ID, but officers quickly grew suspicious when he kept moving his hand toward his right side.

Officers ordered Greer to sit on the floor in the hallway, which he did. After repeated warnings not to reach toward his side, and after announcing a pat-down for officer safety, Greer said “ok,” stood up, and bolted for the stairwell. Detectives gave chase down multiple flights, through the hotel parking lot, and across the back lots of several nearby businesses. During the pursuit, one officer heard a metallic clatter in the stairwell — a sound consistent with a gun being dropped.

Responding officers located a discarded .45 caliber pistol in the stairwell. Later, an empty nylon holster was found clipped to Greer’s right hip. The firearm was confirmed stolen — its owner testified it had been taken from his home in 2015. Ballistics and investigative records tied the weapon directly to the theft and to Greer’s possession at the time of flight.

At the time of the incident, Greer had five prior felony convictions: aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, distribution of PCP, escape, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a controlled substance. Federal law explicitly prohibits individuals with such convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition, making his actions a clear violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 922(g).

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative reinvigorated in October 2017 under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez leads PSN efforts, coordinating federal, state, and local agencies to target violent offenders and reduce gun crime.