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, Miami Field Office, announce today’s sentencing of defendant Johnnie Lee Paris, Jr., 30, of Indian River County, on charges of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Paris had previously pled guilty to possession of a handgun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez sentenced Paris to 70 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release.

On October 14, 2011, defendant Paris was arrested by officers of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office executing a state search warrant at his home in Vero Beach. The search resulted in the seizure of three handguns (a .40 Glock pistol, a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver, and a .380 diamondback), found in Paris’s bedroom and in the backyard, as well as trafficking amounts of MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana in both places. According to court records, Paris had been out on bond since May 2011on state court charges of drug trafficking and firearms possession.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the ATF, and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Cooperstein.

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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.