Seffner Man Sentenced to more than 15 Years for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition

Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Shon Erik Scott (29, Seffner) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  Scott pleaded guilty on June 10, 2014.

According to court documents, on October 12, 2013, officers from the Tampa Police Department arrested Scott at an apartment complex in Tampa.  During their encounter, Scott resisted arrest and threw a loaded firearm that had been concealed in his waistband. Incident to his arrest, a distribution amount of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone, a controlled substance, was found in his possession.  At the time, Scott was a previously convicted felon, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tampa 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 ATF Special Agent in Charge Regina Lombardo, 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.