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Former Florida Deputy Pleads Guilty To Lying, Purchasing Gun That Was Used Murder

A former Florida sheriff’s office deputy has pleaded guilty to federal charges and faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

Kenyari Devaughnte Brewton (26, Ocala), a former deputy with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, has pleaded guilty to two federal felonies: (1) making a materially false statement during the purchase of a firearm and (2) causing a federal firearms licensee to maintain false information in its official records.

Brewton faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He will also be required to forfeit and/or abandon firearms and ammunition related to the offenses.

According to the plea agreement, between March 2, 2020, and April 26, 2021, Brewton purchased multiple firearms from a Marion County gun dealer, including two handguns and an AK-47 style pistol.

While purchasing the firearms, Brewton certified on each ATF Form 4473 (Firearm Transaction Record) that he was the “actual transferee/buyer” of these guns.

In actuality, investigators say he purchased the firearms on behalf of another person and never intended to keep them. Brewton also used his status as a law enforcement officer to obtain discount prices on some of the firearms.

Specifically, on April 26, 2021, Brewton purchased two Glock pistols (.40 and  9mm calibers). Six days later, on May 2, 2021, the .40 caliber Glock pistol was used by another person during a homicide in Marion County.

That firearm was later recovered by the Ocala Police Department during a traffic stop involving four armed men with masks, gloves, and loaded firearms.

A few weeks after the homicide, on May 30, 2021, during a DUI traffic stop in Lake County, the Fruitland Park Police Department recovered the 9mm Glock handgun in a glovebox next to $10,000 in cash.

A subsequent search warrant of Brewton’s cellphone revealed numerous text conversations between Brewton and the person for whom he had agreed to purchase the firearms.

Brewton also admitted to federal investigators that he had “gotten caught up” in people asking him to buy firearms and in making a profit on the sales.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

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