Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Tory Lenard James (32, Sarasota) to ten years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. James was found guilty by a federal jury on Feb. 25, 2014.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2013, members of the Sarasota Police Department executed a search warrant at James’s residence. Inside the home, law enforcement officers found a loaded.22 caliber pistol.
At the time of the incident, James was a convicted felon. His prior felonies include robbery and multiple drug convictions. As a convicted felon, James is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Shauna S. Hale.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods" program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. 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. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to reduce violent crime in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
