Press Release
Deltona Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Firearm And Narcotics Crimes
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
Orlando, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Albert Thompson, III (31, Deltona) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Thompson to forfeit three firearms as part of his sentence. Thompson pleaded guilty on July 23, 2013.
According to court documents, on October 23, 2012, officers from the Sanford Police Department responded to a residence in Sanford to investigate a shooting incident. The responding officers located Thompson at the residence along with other individuals. Further investigation led to the discovery of Thompson’s rental vehicle on the premises. Officers executed a search warrant on the vehicle and recovered two loaded firearms and an assortment of controlled substances including marijuana, oxycodone pills, crack/cocaine, and cocaine as well as a narcotics cutting agent and two scales suitable for weighing narcotics. Forensic analysis of the evidence revealed that Thompson’s DNA was present on one of the seized firearms and that his fingerprints were located on the exterior and interior of the rental vehicle.
Thompson has multiple prior felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Sanford Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.
It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice's "Project Safe Neighborhoods" program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Updated January 26, 2015
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