A Riviera Beach man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. Joseph McDonald, 36, of Riviera Beach, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm.
According to evidence presented at trial, McDonald fled from the police on two separate occasions during the course of stolen vehicle investigations. On July 28, 2013, McDonald dropped a fully loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol during his flight from members of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. Then, on December 17, 2013, deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office recovered a fully semi-automatic pistol from McDonald’s flight path. A forensic examination report confirmed that the firearm that was recovered on December 17, 2013 had been used in a Jupiter, Florida shooting the preceding day.
McDonald had previously been convicted of numerous felonies and was thereby prohibited from possessing a firearm. McDonald was sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which provides a mandatory sentencing range of fifteen years to life for individuals who have been convicted of a federal gun offense and have at least three prior qualifying felony convictions for crimes of violence and/or serious drug offenses.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is a nationwide initiative that combines traditional law enforcement activities with community-based support and intervention programs. The two primary goals of the PSN initiative are to reduce and prevent violent crimes and to help past offenders adjust and re-enter the community.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandy Galler and Daniel Funk. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF, PBGPD and PBSO. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov
Defendant: Joseph McDonald
Criminal Charges: Being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm
City and State: Riviera Beach, Florida
Exact Date: Not specified, but related events occurred on July 28, 2013 and December 17, 2013
Sentence: 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release
Related Federal Cases
- Jordan Denzel Lewis, Armed Robbery, Florida 2022 · Florida
- Ariel Valero, Armed Bank Robbery, Florida 2019 · Florida
- Herbert Lenorris Smith, Jr., Armed Bank Robbery, Florida 2013 · Florida
- Cecil Dante Buckner, Armed Robbery, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Troy Markeith Griffin, Armed Robbery, Florida 2017 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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