St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and Ammunition

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Cordey Jermel Adams (34, St. Petersburg) to 15 years and eight months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Adams pleaded guilty on November 25, 2013.

According to court documents, on December 12, 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Adams’s residence in St. Petersburg. During the search, they found approximately five to six pounds of marijuana, digital scales, a video surveillance system, and a total of $3,709.00 in cash. Also inside the residence, officers discovered three loaded firearms. At the time of the incident, Adams was a previously convicted felon, including multiple drug distribution offenses, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph W. Swanson.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Trevor Velinor, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to prevent violent crime in communities.