Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Tory Lenard James (32, Sarasota) guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. James faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 16, 2014.

          According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2013, members of the Sarasota Police Department executed a search warrant at James’s residence. Inside the home, law enforcement officers found a loaded .22 caliber pistol.

          At the time of the incident, James was a convicted felon.  His prior felonies include robbery and multiple drug charges.  As a convicted felon, James 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 Carlton C. Gammons and Shauna Hale.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.  United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.  It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime and improving the quality of life in communities where law enforcement efforts are focused.

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