Fort Pierce Man Indicted For Drug Trafficking And Firearms Charges

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announce the indictment of Samuel George Brown, 49, of Fort Pierce, on charges of prohibited possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g) and (k); possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a); and, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). Brown appeared in court earlier this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank J. Lynch, Jr. for arraignment on the charges.

According to the indictment, as well as an earlier federal complaint, Brown was found in possession of a .380 caliber Hi-Point handgun, as well as a .22 caliber Marlin rifle and a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, with corresponding ammunition, in his home. Officers of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office discovered the firearms and ammunition, together with marijuana packaged for sale, when they executed a search warrant at Brown’s Fort Pierce home on June 8, 2013. Brown is a previously convicted felon.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum statutory term of imprisonment of ten years on each of the prohibited firearms possession counts, as well as the drug trafficking count, and a mandatory consecutive sentence of an additional five years, on the gun possession in furtherance of a drug crime count.

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

An indictment is merely an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.