Fort Pierce Man Sentenced On Firearms Charges

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announce today’s sentencing of defendant Jose Antonio Delgado, 46, of Fort Pierce, on charges of unlawful possession of stolen firearms. Delgado had previously pled guilty to possession of a stolen handgun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(j) and 924(a)(2). At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced Delgado to 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

On November 14, 2012, defendant Delgado was arrested by officers of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, after he was spotted carrying a prohibited firearm in public and fled police pursuit into his home in Fort Pierce. Following Delgado’s surrender to the police who surrounded the home, a state search warrant issued for the home. The search resulted in the seizure of two firearms found in Delgado’s home (a .22 caliber TEC-22 short barreled rifle modified with an added stock, and a homemade silencer) as well as the .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun Delgado was carrying as he fled police, which was found outside on the ground. According to court records, Delgado had been deprived of the right to possess firearms following previous felony convictions. Judge Moore imposed the maximum sentence under federal law, noting the defendant’s extensive criminal history going back to the age of nine years old.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF, the Fort Pierce Police Department, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Cooperstein.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.