Tampa Man Sentenced To Prison For Unlawful Possession Of Guns, Grenades, And Classified Information

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Jeremy Brown (48, Tampa) to seven years and three months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of unregistered short-barrel firearms, possession of unregistered explosive grenades, improper storage of explosive grenades, and retention of classified information. In addition, he was ordered to forfeit the unregistered devices traceable to the offense, pay child support arrears and a special assessment in the amount of $525.

Brown was found guilty after a jury trial on December 12, 2022. According to evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 30, 2021, the FBI executed an arrest and search warrant at Brown’s residence in Tampa. During the search, agents found an unregistered AR-15-style rifle, modified to have a 10” barrel, in Brown’s bedroom. Agents also found a sawed-off shotgun, also unregistered, on a couch inside of Brown’s recreational vehicle (RV), which was parked near his home. Inside a briefcase next to the shotgun, agents found a classified Trip Report that Brown had authored shortly before he retired from the U.S. Special Forces. Inside the bedroom of that same RV, agents found an ammunition vest containing two M-67 fragmentation grenades hidden in the pockets. U.S. Army records confirmed that the grenades had originally been in the possession of the U.S. Army.

Trial evidence also established that Brown had served as a weapons sergeant in the Special Forces, which would have given him access to M-67 fragmentation grenades. Finally, the evidence established that the classified Trip Report contained highly sensitive information about U.S. Department of Defense intelligence – gathering tactics, techniques, and procedures, including information about a human source that, if released, could have caused the source to be arrested, tortured, or killed.

“The communities we serve can be assured by investigations such as this that the FBI and its law enforcement partners are working diligently and tirelessly to support the mission of protecting the American people and upholding the United States Constitution,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge David Walker.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Risha Asokan, and by National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section Trial Attorney Menno Goedman.