FORT LAUDERDALE — A federal jury convicted a 42-year-old multi-convicted felon who doused his own vehicle in gasoline and ignited it — while law enforcement officers stood feet away — to destroy fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, cash and a loaded firearm hidden inside during a Palm Beach County drug trafficking investigation.
Willie James Skipper Jr. of Boynton Beach was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and arson. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
“This case shows the lethal mix we are confronting in South Florida: fentanyl disguised as prescription pills, crack cocaine, cash, firearms, and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The evidence at trial showed that Willie James Skipper Jr., a multi-convicted felon, set fire to a vehicle loaded with drugs and a firearm while law enforcement officers stood just feet away. That explosion could have killed officers and innocent people nearby. Thanks to the courage of our federal, state, and local partners, this defendant was stopped, convicted, and now faces serious federal prison time.”
Surveillance officers had been watching Skipper on Oct. 31, 2025, after observing him engaging in suspected hand-to-hand narcotics exchanges in an area of Palm Beach County known for violent crime and open-air drug trafficking. A narcotics-detection K-9 alerted to Skipper’s vehicle. While officers waited for a tow truck to impound it, Skipper walked to a nearby gas station, purchased gasoline, returned to the vehicle, poured gasoline onto it and ignited it, causing a major explosion. He then fled on foot before being taken into custody.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, large amounts of cash and a loaded firearm concealed in hidden compartments. During trial, expert witnesses testified about the dangers posed by counterfeit fentanyl pills, the violent nature of the vehicle fire and the risk of catastrophic injury posed by nearby propane tanks. DNA evidence linked Skipper to both the narcotics and the firearm.
Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Miami Field Division and Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw jointly announced the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Shea Darsch and Brian Ralston are prosecuting.
Certain remaining counts were severed by the court and are pending. The defendant is presumed innocent of the pending charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. A federal district court judge will determine Skipper’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.