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Press Release

Ocala Felon With Loaded Handgun Sentenced To Nearly Three Years In Federal Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Michael Tyrone Young (32, Ocala) to 33 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Young was also required to forfeit the firearm and ammunition seized from him by law enforcement. He had been found guilty following a trial on August 29, 2022.

According to evidence presented at trial, on the night of August 31, 2021, officers from the Ocala Police Department encountered Young in the hallway of a building at a local public housing complex. The officers were specifically patrolling the area due to recent shootings at the complex. The officers confronted Young after seeing him drop and retrieve what appeared to be a weapon. As they talked with him, the loaded firearm fell out of Young’s pants and onto the floor. Young admitted that he had the firearm because he had been “looking for a certain person” who was “fixin’ to get him.” A records check showed that Young had three state felony convictions for drug distribution. As a convicted felon, Young is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.

The case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.

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.

Updated January 26, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses