As the jailed owner of Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall works to resolve a charge of selling liquor without a license, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed he was a “criminal illegal alien” convicted of a litany of crimes since his arrival from Jamaica in 1987.
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Posted to X on Wednesday, DHS cited Cleon Williams’ “EXTENSIVE criminal history” and an expired work visa to justify his continued Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention at the Orange County Jail. The post follows attempts by the Orlando Sentinel to seek comment from DHS and ICE in the days following Williams’ arrest.
While DHS listed convictions of cocaine trafficking, possessing narcotics, sexual battery and more, public records tell a somewhat different story. Williams has but two convictions on his record: one for cocaine trafficking in 1997 and a second for possession of a controlled substance in 2003, according to his criminal history obtained from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The 1997 conviction was the result of a no-contest plea, and Williams was sentenced to 11 months in the Orange County Jail. The one in 2003 followed a guilty plea. Court filings in both cases were not available, as they are typically removed from public access after a certain period of time.
The other “convictions” DHS cited were instead charges later dropped by prosecutors. Williams was arrested in May 1999 for sexual battery of a minor under 12, aggravated assault and false imprisonment, but those charges were dropped just two months later. The other arrests in his criminal history obtained from FDLE involved traffic violations for driving without a license, most recently in 2023, and were resolved in traffic court.
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Williams was arrested Saturday for allegedly selling liquor without a license to undercover officers with Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, or ABT. It was a joint operation with the Orlando Police Department, which transported him to the county jail where he’s now being held on an immigration hold by ICE.
The Sentinel requested body-worn camera video of Williams’ arrest, which OPD has yet to fulfill. Phillip Arroyo, his attorney, declined to comment on the case and DHS’s X post, while ABT has not responded to questions about what prompted the investigation.
Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall is legendary for launching the careers of hundreds of local bands. Since his arrest, Orlando’s music community has rallied behind Williams to demand his release while raising money for legal support.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $45,000 to support his legal defense, while local acts have announced benefit concerts to continue raising money.
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Staff writer Ryan Gillespie contributed to this report.