Pahokee Resident Sentenced to More than Eight Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Jonathan Demario Collins, 33, of Pahokee, Florida was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg to 100 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, after having been convicted by a trial jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm (Case No. 17cr80084).
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and Ric Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) made the announcement.
According to the court record, including the indictment, case filings and evidence presented at trial, on February 7, 2016, Collins was arrested during a traffic stop on an arrest warrant for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and simple battery, in a Palm Beach County case.
The arrest was made by agents of the PBSO Tactical Unit, each of whom had been sworn in as ATF Task Force Officers. While PBSO tactical agents were conducting surveillance in Pahokee, they observed Collins exiting an apartment and entering the rear seat of a red Nissan Altima. Agents initiated a traffic stop and then removed Collins from the vehicle and placed him under arrest. A loaded, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was observed in the vehicle, near where Collins' was sitting. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and recovered the pistol. DNA was collected from the firearm. An analysis confirmed that Collins’ DNA was located on the pistol. At the time of his arrest, Collins was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN was reinvigorated in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of ATF and PBSO’s Tactical Unit in this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. McMillan.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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