Armed Career Criminal Sentenced To Over Fifteen Years For Possessing A Firearm And Ammunition

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Michael Moore (37, Sarasota) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered him to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense.

A federal jury found Moore guilty on December 7, 2017.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 28, 2017, Moore had an altercation with girlfriend during which he removed her loaded firearm from her car and hid it in a friend’s apartment. The girlfriend then notified police that Moore had stolen her firearm. Days later, after Moore and his girlfriend had reconciled, he retrieved her loaded firearm from the apartment and returned it to her. At the time, Moore had at least 10 prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Michael Baggé-Hernández.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.