Tallahassee, Florida – John D. Ford, 49, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This serial offender had a dozen prior felony convictions, and continued to not only illegally possess firearms but also trafficked those guns to other criminals. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute career criminals, like this defendant, to keep our communities safe.”Court documents reflect that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives assisted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in the execution of a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Panama City. Three firearms were found in the defendant’s bedroom (a short-barreled shotgun and two pistols), along with job application paperwork with the defendant’s biographical information on it and court paperwork for the defendant.
The defendant admitted that one of the firearms belonged to him. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s cellphone and discovered messages that indicated that the defendant was trading or selling the recovered firearms. The defendant was prohibited from possessing firearms because of 12 prior felony convictions.Ford’s federal prison term will be followed by two years of supervised release. Forfeiture was ordered as to the recovered firearms.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.These cases are part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit theU.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.