Mississippi Man Sentenced To 46 Months In Prison On Firearm And Counterfeiting Charge
Jacksonville, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Bryan Lyndell Chapman (27, Mississippi) to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Chapman to forfeit a Bushmaster pistol, ammunition, a printer, and make restitution to the victims that he defrauded. Chapman was arrested on February 26, 2024, and ordered detained.
According to court documents, in late 2023 into January 2024, Chapman traveled from Tennessee to Florida. During his trip, he manufactured counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and passed them at various businesses. On January 17, 2024, a deputy from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) investigated a vehicle in which Chapman was a passenger. During the investigation, the CCSO located inside the vehicle a loaded firearm, ammunition, equipment for manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, 78 counterfeit $20 bills, and 35 incomplete counterfeit pages with only the front of a $20 bill printed on it. The CCSO subsequently determined that Chapman was out on bond on a felony firearm charge pending in Mississippi and had previously been convicted in Tennessee of felony aggravated assault. As a convicted felon, Chapman is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Jacksonville Office, and the United States Secret Service – Jacksonville Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.