A North Fort Myers man has been sentenced to 12 years and 3 months in federal prison following an armed carjacking incident, U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber handed down the sentence to 28-year-old Zachary Pegg for his involvement in the crime which occurred in Fort Myers in December 2022, after Pegg had pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence on March 27, 2024.
The case, which originated from an emergency call to the Fort Myers Police Department on December 30, 2022, detailed an armed carjacking by a masked individual in a condominium complex parking garage on First Street; the victim was forced at gunpoint to surrender his keys, cellphone, and wallet and the assailant then fled in the stolen vehicle, Pegg was linked to the incident and ultimately apprehended after a short foot pursuit by law enforcement, which included the Lee County Sheriff’s Office's Aviation Unit and a police canine.
In a release by the Department of Justice, the investigation efforts were a collaboration between the Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it was subsequently prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth. The conviction aligns with the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative aimed at decreasing violent crime and gun violence through strengthened community-law enforcement partnerships.
This particular case underscores the Department of Justice's enforcement priorities, a balanced approach emphasizing prevention by supporting community-based intervention alongside a focused law enforcement strategy; elements critical to the renewed violent crime reduction strategy outlined by the Department on May 26, 2021, which aims to foster trust and legitimacy within our communities, the results of these combined efforts are aimed at a tangible reduction in violent crime, making neighborhoods safer for all.
