In a brazen act of violence, Nathaniel Thomas Hatcher, III, 28, of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with participating in a drive-by shooting along I-95 in St. Johns, Florida, on October 17, 2023. Hatcher is accused of discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
According to the indictment, Hatcher and co-defendant James Toney, 20, also of Jacksonville, allegedly conspired to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. Toney is charged with conspiring to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. The indictment also charges Al’Donta Easterling, 26, of Jacksonville, with conspiring to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
If convicted on all counts, Hatcher faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment, up to two life sentences, plus 115 years. Toney faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life imprisonment, plus 45 years. Easterling faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, up to life, plus 60 years.
Hatcher, Toney, and Easterling have all been arrested and ordered detained pending trial, which is set for November 4, 2024. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which has led to the arrests of five defendants. Desmond Maxwell, 28, of Jacksonville, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw-purchase firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and faces up to 25 years in federal prison. Yaquasia DelCarmen, 28, of Jacksonville, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana and conspiring to commit money laundering and faces up to 40 years in federal prison. DayJon Major, 21, of Jacksonville, has been charged with illegally possessing a machinegun and possessing a stolen firearm and is currently in state custody.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Aakash Singh and Kirwinn Mike.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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