A St. Petersburg man is staring down a minimum of 15 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of illegally possessing a firearm. Devin Fabian Collins, 25, was found guilty on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Department of Justice announced today.
The conviction stems from a high-speed, helicopter-chased pursuit through St. Petersburg in May 2017. Surveillance and officer testimony revealed Collins driving erratically before pulling into an apartment complex. When law enforcement arrived, he bailed from the vehicle and bolted on foot—tossing drugs and a loaded firearm over a fence during his escape.
Collins was apprehended shortly after. Ballistics and field tests confirmed the discarded weapon was operable and the drugs were controlled substances. Crucially, court records show Collins had a prior felony conviction, making his possession of any firearm or ammunition a federal crime under U.S. law.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pinellas County Violence Crimes Task Force—a multi-agency unit comprising the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, and Clearwater Police Department. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Preston and Callan Albritton.
Collins was indicted on May 18, 2017, and his trial laid bare a pattern of violence and evasion. The government emphasized his status as a prohibited person under federal law, arguing that armed felons like Collins fuel urban gun violence and endanger public safety.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a DOJ-led initiative reinvigorated in 2017 under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez has prioritized PSN collaborations to target repeat violent offenders. Collins faces sentencing on May 15, 2018, where he will be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.
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