TAMPA, FL – Niko Wimbley, 30, of Tampa, is headed back to federal prison after being sentenced to five years for possessing a loaded firearm despite a rap sheet stretching back years. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington handed down the sentence Wednesday, following Wimbley’s guilty plea in January.
The bust went down December 26, 2021, in the Rivergrove neighborhood. Tampa Police, along with the FBI and ATF, spotted Wimbley driving a stolen sedan, with another convicted felon riding shotgun. Both men were packing heat – fully loaded, semi-automatic pistols. When officers initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of East Sligh Avenue and Rowlett Park Drive, Wimbley and his accomplice bolted on foot, ditching their weapons in the stolen vehicle.
A search of the car revealed a loaded black SCCY CPX-1 9mm pistol on the driver’s seat and a loaded black Springfield XDS (HS Produkt) .45 caliber pistol on the passenger side floor. Forensic analysis confirmed Wimbley’s DNA was on the SCCY CPX-1. He’s agreed to forfeit both the firearm and ammunition – proceeds of the crime, according to federal prosecutors.
This isn’t Wimbley’s first rodeo. Court records show he’s an eight-time convicted felon, meaning he was already legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. The details of his prior convictions weren’t immediately available, but the judge clearly wasn’t impressed with his history.
Federal prosecutors are framing this case as a win for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies and communities aimed at curbing violent crime and gun violence. The Biden administration recently doubled down on PSN, emphasizing community trust, violence prevention, and focused enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Wimbley will now have plenty of time to reflect on his choices – five years worth, locked up in a federal facility.
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