Manatee County Probationer Pleads Guilty To Possessing Firearm

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Pedro Garcia (34, Manatee County) has pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 26, 2017.

According to court documents, on November 9, 2015, law enforcement officers conducted a compliance search at Garcia’s residence, pursuant to the terms of his probation.  Inside the home, the officers found a loaded 9mm pistol, various types of 9mm and .45 caliber ammunition, and drug paraphernalia. As a previously convicted felon, Garcia was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.   

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Department of Corrections Probation & Parole Field Service Office, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN) - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, 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.