Man sentenced to 20 years for shooting Lehigh Acres hot dog vendor

A man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for shooting the owner of a Lehigh Acres hot dog stand in 2022.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, James Gonzalez, 26, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting Lehigh Acres hot-dog stand vendor Kelvis Maiguel while attempting to rob him in May.

After Gonzalez shot Maiguel, he ran away into a wooded area. A Lee County Sheriff’s deputy in a nearby parking lot saw the incident from a distance and called additional deputies. A K-9 unit and an aviation unit helped locate and apprehend Gonzelez.

Gonzalez was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years on charges of aggravated battery with a
firearm and attempted robbery – possessing a firearm. Each carries a 20-year minimum/mandatory
sentence and a 15-year minimum/mandatory sentence as a prison releasee reoffender.

He was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and
given credit time served for resisting/obstructing an officer without violence. Gonzalez was also adjudicated guilty in a second case from 2022 involving drug trafficking and was
sentenced as follows:

• Trafficking in Fentanyl – 4 grams or more: 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine
• Trafficking in Amphetamine: 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine
• Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon: 15 years in prison
• Possession of a Controlled Substance: 5 years in prison

All charges will run concurrently