DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Monday, December 3, 2018
Ariana Fajardo Orshan
, United States Attorney

Broward County Resident Sentenced to Over Thirteen Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Drugs and Personal Identifying Information

On November 20, 2018, Trenard Caldwell, 27, of Broward County, was sentenced to 161 months in prison by U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon unlawfully in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office made the announcement.

According to the court docket, including the criminal complaint and several search warrant applications, on September 19, 2015, Caldwell was found in a stolen car. His cellular phones were seized by local police and searched pursuant to a search warrant. A large amount of personal identifying information, including credit/debit card and social security numbers, was located in his phones. The phones’ web history included almost 800 visits to sites on which you can purchase credit card details in bulk.  Between October 28, 2016, and September 3, 2017, Caldwell posted several photos on social media in which he was pictured in possession of a firearm. In his posts, he also indicated he was “the plug,” a slang term for the source of illegal narcotics. During another traffic stop in early 2017, Caldwell was found in possession of two cellular phones which were later searched pursuant to a search warrant. The phones contained photographs of Caldwell in possession of a firearm, including some of the same pictures that were posted on his social media account. Caldwell was living at a home in Lauderhill he had rented using another person’s identity. On May 4, 2018, a search warrant was executed on the Lauderhill residence. Inside the home, agents located Caldwell and a .40 caliber Glock 22 pistol fitted with an extended magazine and laser sight.  Caldwell had previously been convicted of several felonies, and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Agents also recovered approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine, counterfeit credit and identification cards, and a number of cellular phones, laptop computers, and notebooks, which all contained the personal identifying information of dozens of individuals.

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.   The PSN program 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 investigatory efforts of the ATF in this matter.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anita G. White.

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 at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

 

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Miami Field Division