JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a Jacksonville man to 16 years in prison for his role in a drug-trafficking organization and a drive‑by shooting, the Department of Justice said.
RELATED: Man sentenced to 35 years for leading Jacksonville drug ring, 2023 I-95 drive-by shooting | Jacksonville man sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug conspiracy, role in 2023 drive-by shooting on I-95
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James Toney, 20, of Jacksonville, to 16 years for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, committing a drive‑by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Other sentencing includes Javon Davis, 27, of Jacksonville, to seven years in federal prison and Christian Guyton, 23, of Jacksonville, to eight years and four months. Both were sentenced for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, prosecutors said.
| Name | Sentencing Status of DTO Co-conspirators |
|---|---|
| Nathaniel Hatcher III | 35 years |
| Tavarius Blue | 12 years |
| Yaquasia Delcarmen | 8 years |
| Al’Donta Easterling | 10 years |
| Darion Jerido | 6 years, 6 months |
| Briyhon Johnson | 14 years, 3 months |
| Desmond Maxwell | Pleaded guilty to straw-purchasing firearms, faces up to 25 years |
| Jahson Hatcher | Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess 100 kgs or more of marijuana; faces minimum of 5 years, up to 40 years in prison |
According to court documents, the three men acted as armed distributors for a Jacksonville‑based drug trafficking organization led by Nathaniel Hatcher III. The group moved bulk marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling it on commercial airlines, shipping it through the mail and transporting it by vehicle across state lines.
Once the marijuana reached Jacksonville, members stored, packaged and distributed it from short‑term rental homes, the documents said. Hatcher and other members carried firearms at those residences to protect themselves, their drugs and drug proceeds.
Prosecutors said a former correctional officer, Desmond Maxwell, unlawfully bought firearms on behalf of Hatcher and other members.
Court records said the violence escalated after a Sept. 18, 2023, drug deal gone wrong at a gas station on Old St. Augustine Road. People the group had met that evening never turned over roughly $45,000 in cash and instead stole the money from Hatcher and Toney, the documents said.
After the robbery, a former police officer allegedly accessed law enforcement databases and provided Hatcher with the names and addresses of the people who had stolen the cash, according to the court filings. For nearly a month, Toney, Davis, Guyton and other group members tracked, surveilled and cyber‑stalked the victims and their family members and exchanged text messages plotting retaliation, prosecutors said.
On Oct. 15, 2023, Toney and another man stole two cars from a rental lot at Jacksonville International Airport, intending to use one in the planned retaliation, the documents say.
Two days later, after a surveillance operation following a court appearance by one of the Sept. 18 subjects, Toney and other DTO members followed the subject’s car south on Interstate 95. Court filings say the stolen sedan and an SUV boxed the subject’s vehicle into a left lane and Toney and Hatcher fired dozens of rounds of 7.62‑caliber ammunition into the car.
The male subject sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was airlifted to a trauma unit, prosecutors said. A female passenger suffered injuries from broken glass. Deputies recovered about 25 spent 7.62‑caliber shell casings at the scene, and ballistics testing indicated two different firearms were used.