Federal Jury Finds Armed Career Criminal Guilty on Firearm and Ammunition Charges

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury has found Michael Moore (36, Sarasota) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a minimum mandatory term of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 7, 2018.

Moore was indicted on July 18, 2017.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 28, 2017, Moore had an altercation with his girlfriend during which he removed her loaded firearm from underneath the driver’s seat of her car. When Moore’s girlfriend reported him to the police for stealing her loaded firearm, he hid the weapon at a friend’s house. After his girlfriend agreed to drop the gun report against him, Moore retrieved the loaded firearm and returned it to her. During the trial, Moore admitted to possessing the firearm. As a previously convicted felon, he is 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 Sarasota Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Michael Baggé-Hernández.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.