Tampa, Florida – A Sarasota man is headed to prison after being caught with a firearm. Steven Phelps, 40, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On June 27, 2014, detectives from the Sarasota Police Department executed a search warrant at Phelps’s home, where they found 28 individually wrapped baggies of cocaine, an electronic scale, and a Davis Industries .32 caliber pistol. At the time of the search, Phelps was a convicted felon, and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
Phelps pleaded guilty on October 24, 2014, to the charges. The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons. This is another case prosecuted as a part of the nationwide ‘Project Safe Neighborhoods’ Program, a gun-violence reduction strategy.
United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
This is also an example of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to impact violent crime within our communities. Phelps was a convicted felon at the time of the search, and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
The defendant’s real full name is Steven Phelps. The exact criminal charges against him were being a felon in possession of a firearm. The city and state involved in the case are Tampa, Florida. The exact date of the crime was June 27, 2014. The sentence or outcome in the case was 15 years in federal prison.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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