Demetrius Lamar Rahmings, Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Florida 2023

A Tampa gang member was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a loaded firearm as a convicted felon, the Grimy Times has learned.

Demetrius Lamar Rahmings, 28, was found guilty on May 30, 2023, following a bench trial in U.S. District Court. Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle handed down the sentence on the same charges.

Rahmings, a convicted felon, had previously been convicted in state court in Florida of multiple felonies, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (2013); aggravated assault with a weapon (2013); aggravated battery (2013); possession of a firearm as a felon (2019); and fleeing to elude law enforcement (2019).

On October 8, 2020, law enforcement officers with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Tampa Police Department were monitoring a residence in Tampa that was known to be frequented by Rahmings’ associates. When officers approached Rahmings, he fled on foot into the home and was taken into custody.

During the search, officers recovered a Taurus 9mm firearm with an extended magazine loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition, plastic baggies, a digital scale, and an orange ski mask from Rahmings’ backpack. As a convicted felon, Rahmings is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Apprehension Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.

The 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.

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