Overview

• Akeem Cornell Shaw, 39, admitted to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of an unregistered short‑barreled shotgun.
• A February 2025 search of Shaw’s home uncovered multiple loaded firearms, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, ammunition, and distribution indicia, according to court documents.
• Carlton Shoemaker, 51, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
• Investigators say Shoemaker sold methamphetamine and cocaine from a Pensacola motel room where a May 2025 search yielded cocaine, marijuana, two firearms, ammunition, and other distribution materials.
• Each defendant is a convicted felon facing up to life in prison, with sentencing set before U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II on December 11 (Shaw at 9:00 a.m., Shoemaker at 10:00 a.m.), following investigations by ATF with Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Shaw’s case and FDLE in Shoemaker’s case, and prosecutions led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Etherton, with Christopher Patterson also on the Shoemaker case.