Possessing Drugs and Guns Lead to Over Twenty-Five Years in Prison for Florida Man

 Also found with over $10,000 Cash

A man who pled guilty to drug and gun charges was sentenced December 21, 2020, to 27 years in federal prison.

Brandon James Seys, age 42, from Tampa, Florida, received the prison term after a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Seys was arrested in Dubuque, Iowa, in December 2018.  During the arrest, officers recovered more than $10,000 on his person and recovered methamphetamine and cocaine in his hotel room.  Officers also recovered two firearms in a storage unit.  Seys later admitted at the plea hearing to possessing the firearms and being a felon.  Evidence during the case showed that Seys told others he was willing to use the firearms if officers attempted to arrest him. 

Seys was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Seys was sentenced to 324 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Seys is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department the Dubuque Police Department, and the Dubuque County Drug Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download.