Department of Justice

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Danzavieran Durand Thurman. (35, Lehigh Acres) to 10 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered Thurman to forfeit the firearm used in the offense.

According to court documents, on October 16, 2020, deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) responded to a hotel in Fort Myers after locating a car in the hotel’s parking lot that had been used in an armed home invasion. Law enforcement had identified Thurman as one of the suspects involved in the armed home invasion. Deputies obtained a search warrant to search the hotel room Thurman was occupying. During a search of the hotel room, LSCO deputies discovered a loaded firearm hidden in a mattress box spring frame. Subsequent forensic analysis of the firearm linked it to Thurman. As a previously convicted felon, Thurman is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Trent Reichling.

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, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.