Jamaican citizen sentenced to 57 months in prison for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Jamaican citizen illegally in the United States was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison Feb. 14 for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

According to court documents, in February 2009 an Orange County Sheriff's deputy observed Omar O'Neill Lewis attempting to conceal a handgun under a parked car in a parking lot. The handgun was recovered and identified as an FN Herstal 5.7 mm. The gun was loaded with a round in the chamber and 16 rounds in the magazine. Lewis was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.

At the time of his arrest, Lewis identified himself to deputies using a fictitious name. He also produced an illegally obtained Florida identification card and Florida driver's license.

A DNA search warrant confirmed that the DNA collected from the firearm matched Lewis' DNA.

Lewis was later identified as a national and citizen of Jamaica. On April 3, 2001, an immigration judge ordered Lewis removed from the United States. He was removed from the United States on June 28, 2001. Lewis illegally re-entered the United States on or about July 25, 2005. He was removed again on Feb. 23, 2006. Lewis made other attempts to enter the United States using fictitious identities.

On Oct. 5, 2009, in the Southern District of Florida, Lewis was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry. On May 25, 2010, he was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison for false impersonation of a U.S. citizen.