JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A convicted felon seen holding a gun in a rap music video was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison, the office of U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced Friday.
Richard Leroy Douglas, 25, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty July 9 to possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, federal prosecutors said.
Douglas was previously convicted in 2014 of sale or delivery of cocaine in Duval County and sentenced to 15 months in that case, Florida Department of Corrections records show.
According to federal court documents, on Oct. 1, 2018, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did a search on YouTube for firearm-related music videos in the Jacksonville area and found a video -- which was filmed Aug. 25, 2018, and published Sept.14, 2018, on YouTube -- showing several people holding guns.
Agents said they identified Douglas as one of the people in the music video who had possessed a Zastava 7.62x39 mm pistol with a double black taped magazine.
On Sept. 27, 2018, detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office executed a drug-related search warrant at a residence. During the search of the residence, officers located five firearms, one of which was a Zastava 7.62x39 mm pistol.
Prosecutors said that pistol matched the one that Douglas had possessed in the music video. The residence also matched the location where the music video was shot, according to investigators.
"He knows that he’s a convicted felon. He knows that he’s not supposed to have a weapon, so he actually made it easy for law enforcement," News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said.
Jefferson said it's common for law enforcement to make arrests after seeing crimes committed in music videos.
"They see the glamour and the glitter that follows all that and they just have ambitions of doing that, but they have to understand that there are rules and regulations pertaining to them that they have to follow," he said.
Court records show two other men in the video with Douglas were also indicted for having a gun while having had a previous conviction.
Charges dropped, refiled in similar but unrelated operation
Douglas was not one of the suspects arrested in Operation Rap Up, a social media investigation focused on gun violence in Jacksonville that was announced in January by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office.
According to the State Attorney's Office and Duval County court records, while the charges against four of the suspects in Operation Rap Up were dropped, they were refiled this year. Here's where the six cases stand:
Tyler Simmons pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a juvenile delinquent and was sentenced to 173 days of jail time served.
One charge against Christopher Parker was dropped, but he pleaded guilty to a second original count of possession of a firearm by convicted felon and sentenced to three years in prison.
Here are the cases that were re-filed:
Nicholas Parker pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to three years in prison
Tyler Jackson is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by felony juvenile delinquent. The case is pending.
Ronnie Myrick is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a gang-related felon. The case is pending.
Bryan Smith is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a gang-related felon. The case is pending.