HOLLYWOOD — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey announced the arrest of James Howard Dobbs Jr., a convicted felon and repeat drug trafficker whose 7-year federal prison sentence was commuted by autopen in the final days of the Biden administration after he served only 20 months. Dobbs now faces 12 state charges in Brevard County, including multiple counts of trafficking in phenethylamines and cocaine, carrying a maximum of 320 years in the Florida Department of Corrections and a 7-year mandatory minimum sentence.
“Joe Biden’s autopen freed dangerous criminals and put Florida families at risk, but with FBI Director Patel’s and Deputy Director Bailey’s leadership, we are entering a new era of cooperation between federal and state law enforcement,” said Attorney General Uthmeier. “Thanks to our strong partnership, we are correcting another egregious wrong. If you are a felon in Florida whose sentence was erased by autopen, our prosecutors make sure you face the accountability you earned.”
“An autopen should never have more power than justice,” said FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey. “Today, the FBI and the State of Florida are proving that violent offenders cannot evade accountability. We will pursue every lawful avenue to ensure justice is served and victims are never forgotten.”
The charges stem from an FBI-led investigation between March and June 2023 after a confidential source identified Dobbs as a drug distributor operating in Brevard County. Over several controlled purchases, Dobbs repeatedly sold trafficking-level quantities of MDMA and cocaine. When agents executed a federal search warrant at Dobbs’ residence in Cocoa, they recovered approximately 305.6 grams of MDMA that Dobbs attempted to flush down the toilet, a loaded Taurus .40 caliber firearm with a round chambered found on his nightstand, and additional cocaine in his bedroom. In a post-Miranda interview, Dobbs admitted the gun was his, acknowledged he was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing it, and confirmed the drugs were his.
“FDLE’s mission is to promote public safety and strengthen domestic security. We take this mission seriously,” said FDLE Assistant Commissioner John Vecchio. “The safety and security of citizens and visitors is our top priority. If you commit a crime in Florida, our FDLE agents and analysts will use every available resource to investigate those crimes and bring you to justice.”
Dobbs faces 10 counts of trafficking — eight in phenethylamines under F.S. 893.135(1)(k) and two in cocaine under F.S. 893.135(1)(b) — plus one count of felonious possession of a firearm under F.S. 790.23(1) and one count of possession of cocaine under F.S. 893.13(6)(a). Each trafficking count carries a mandatory minimum of 3 years, with one count at the 200-to-400-gram level carrying a 7-year mandatory minimum. Dobbs is in custody in Brevard County.
The case is being prosecuted by Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Paul Dontenville and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Jessica Baik in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit under a cross-designation agreement with the Office of State Attorney William Scheiner.