Convicted Felon Sentenced to Ten Years for Possession of Ammunition in Connection with 2010 Lakeland Homicide

Tampa, FL– U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Matthew Anillo Mango (32, Lakeland) to 10 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. This charge stemmed from the 2010 homicide of Lakeland resident Amanda Peterson. Mango pleaded guilty on June 24, 2014.

According to court documents, on September 30, 2010, at approximately 4:00 a.m., the Lakeland Police Department responded to a shooting at Peterson’s residence, where she was discovered on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Peterson was transported to the hospital, but died as a result of her injuries. Peterson’s death was the result of an unintentional discharge of a firearm, which occurred during an argument between Mango and another individual. After Peterson was shot, Mango and other witnesses fled the scene.  Although the firearm that killed Peterson was not recovered, law enforcement linked the spent shell casing and a loaded magazine containing matching ammunition to Mango through fingerprints and other evidence.  At the time of the shooting, Mango was a multi-convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

          This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josephine W. Thomas.