Maurice Phillip Mitchell, 32, of Jacksonville, is headed for a long stretch behind bars after a federal jury found him guilty of illegally possessing a firearm. The verdict, delivered in the Middle District of Florida, marks a major blow to the founder of the violent prison-based gang known as the Cut Throat Committee. Mitchell, already a convicted felon, is now staring down a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years—up to life—under federal armed career criminal statutes.
The conviction stems from a chaotic incident on February 29, 2016, when Mitchell was spotted driving a minivan erratically through the Lackawanna area of Jacksonville. A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) patrol officer noticed signs of intoxication and initiated a traffic stop. Instead of complying, Mitchell hit the gas, leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with the minivan slamming into a tree. He bailed from the wreckage and took off running.
Within minutes, a second JSO officer responded and tracked Mitchell to a nearby parking lot, where he was found hiding underneath an SUV. Bloodied and breathless, he was arrested without further incident. But the real trouble started when officers returned to the crash site and discovered a loaded firearm resting on the dashboard of the wrecked van—a weapon that Mitchell, as a previously convicted felon, had no legal right to possess under federal law.
Mitchell was indicted on April 28, 2016, and has been in custody ever since. At trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office laid out a damning case, linking Mitchell not only to the firearm but to his leadership role in the Cut Throat Committee, a gang known for violent turf wars and intimidation inside Florida’s prison system. His status as an Armed Career Criminal—based on prior violent felony convictions—automatically triggers the stiff 15-to-life sentence.
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with critical support from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Kelly Karase handled the prosecution, presenting evidence that left little room for doubt in the jury’s mind. The case was prosecuted under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a nationwide push to dismantle gun violence at the street level.
“This conviction isn’t just about one illegal gun,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “It’s about taking a known gang leader off the streets and disrupting a network of violence.” Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Orlando Field Division, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies. A sentencing date is pending; Mitchell remains in federal custody without bond.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Organized Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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