Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Ocala, FL – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Curtis Duncan (30, Ocala) to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The Court also ordered Duncan to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Duncan had pleaded guilty on July 14, 2020.

According to court records, on March 30, 2020, officers from the Ocala Police Department responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex. A victim told the officers that Duncan had brandished a firearm at her during an argument. The victim described the firearm and the vehicle that Duncan had been driving when he left the scene. A short time later, officers stopped Duncan in the same vehicle and recovered a loaded .380 caliber handgun from a bag that he had strapped around his torso.

Duncan has prior state felony convictions, including home invasion robbery, and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie Boyer.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

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