Convicted felon from Altamonte Springs pleads guilty to firearm and machinegun charges

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Florida — Lee Ann Roberts, a 43-year-old from Altamonte Springs, has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing unregistered machineguns and silencers.

Roberts faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and up to 10 years for possessing unregistered machineguns and silencers. She must also forfeit the firearms, silencers, and ammunition involved in the offense, according to United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Officers and agents with the Altamonte Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received a tip that Roberts was selling firearms, machineguns, and silencers out of a hotel room in Altamonte Springs and storing the contraband in a white sedan. Law enforcement located Roberts driving the white sedan. When questioned, Roberts admitted that there was at least one firearm in the vehicle and that she is a convicted felon.

A search of the vehicle revealed a hunting rifle, two AR-platform receivers, three silencers, tactical gear, vests, magazines, and hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition. The AR-platform receivers had been modified to allow fully automatic firing, making them machineguns under federal law.

Law enforcement also searched Roberts’ phone and found evidence that she had sold or attempted to sell several firearms, including many of the firearms found in her car. As a convicted felon, Roberts is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. None of the machineguns or silencers were registered to Roberts in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Altamonte Springs Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.