FORT MYERS — A federal judge sentenced two men to a combined six years and four months in prison for separate firearms offenses prosecuted under the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America initiative, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell sentenced Alex Cruz, 24, of Plant City, to 30 months in federal prison for possessing a machinegun. Cruz pleaded guilty on March 3, 2026. In a separate case, Judge Chappell sentenced Russell Renney, 51, of Ohio, to 46 months — three years and 10 months — for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Renney pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025.

Cruz was one of four individuals stopped in a vehicle by Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputies in February 2025. Deputies located a 10mm Glock handgun fitted with a machinegun conversion device in the seatback pocket immediately in front of Cruz. The firearm bore Cruz’s DNA, and Cruz later made statements indicating that he knew the firearm was a machinegun.

Renney’s case stemmed from a controlled operation organized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. According to court documents, Renney contacted an ATF informant offering to sell a firearm. In the controlled meeting, Renney sold the informant a semiautomatic rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition in exchange for $1,400. Renney had multiple prior felony convictions, and as a convicted felon, Renney is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. Renney had also been told by the informant that the informant was a convicted felon.

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter prosecuted both cases. ATF investigated both matters.

Both cases fall under Operation Take Back America, which the DOJ describes as “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.” The initiative has driven a series of federal firearms prosecutions across the Middle District of Florida, which spans Fort Myers, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.

Cruz and Renney will each serve a term of federal supervised release following their prison sentences.