Department of Justice

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle today sentenced Samuel Storey (43, Sarasota) to 17 years in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The court also ordered Storey to forfeit a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard semi-automatic firearm and seven rounds of ammunition related to the offense. Storey had pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021.

According to court documents, on August 22, 2020, Storey got into altercation with a customer at a convenience store in Sarasota County, during which Storey pointed a firearm at the customer. Storey left the store shortly after the altercation and officers from the Sarasota Police Department responded to the store. Storey returned to the store as the officers were beginning the investigation. One of the officers detained Storey and found a loaded Smith & Wesson firearm in Storey’s pocket during a pat down search. Storey was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and selling and possessing with the intent to deliver cocaine. He is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.