A convicted felon with a violent past has been locked up for five years after staging a phony robbery with a loaded Glock 26 9mm pistol — not for cash, but to help undocumented immigrants game the U.S. immigration system. Terry Burney Delion, 34, of Fort Pierce, Florida, admitted to brandishing the weapon during the orchestrated incident on August 29, 2019, outside a grocery store in his hometown.
That night, police rushed to the scene after a 911 call reported an armed robbery behind the store. Two individuals claimed they were ambushed by a tall man in dark clothes, a ski mask, and a sweater. But the story unraveled fast. Within hours, law enforcement found a sweatshirt, the loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and the ski mask stashed in a carport less than a mile away. A K-9 unit traced the scent from the clothing to a nearby dollar store — where Delion was taken into custody.
DNA evidence pulled from the sweatshirt and ski mask matched Delion’s profile. He later confessed to possessing the Glock 26 during the fake robbery. According to investigators, Delion was paid by the wife of one of the alleged victims — both of whom were non-U.S. citizens — to stage the crime so they could claim victim status and avoid deportation. The scheme was a calculated attempt to exploit the asylum and immigration protections meant for real victims of violent crime.
Delion is no stranger to federal prison. He has prior felony convictions out of the Southern District of Florida for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence — both from 2010. As a convicted felon, he was legally barred from possessing any firearm. The loaded Glock recovered at the scene was not just illegal — it was primed for violence in a scam that endangered public trust and law enforcement integrity.
U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham handed down the five-year sentence, calling the act a dangerous perversion of justice. Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Christopher Robinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF Miami Field Division, confirmed the sentencing. The case was investigated by ATF Miami’s Port St. Lucie Office with support from the Fort Pierce Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter.
This case emerged from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s push to dismantle violent crime networks through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. The program, reinvigorated in 2017, targets repeat offenders like Delion who traffic in weapons and exploit systemic vulnerabilities. Court records are available under case number 20-cr-14028 at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Terry Burney Delion Gets 5 Years for Staged Robbery With Glock · Florida
- Lee County Pair Pleads Guilty to Straw Gun Buying Scheme · Florida
- Titusville Thief Stole Firearm Parts in $190,314.83 Scheme · Florida
- Lexington Hostage & Gun Deal: Life Behind Bars? · South Carolina
- Tallahassee Felon Faces Federal Gun Rap · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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