Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Christopher Richard Munroe (55, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Munroe faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 15, 2023. Munroe had been indicted on December 20, 2022.

According to court documents, on November 14, 2022, the Ocala Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from the owner of a moving company who reported Munroe had stolen three firearms while packing a residence for customers. When officers arrived on scene, they found Munroe crouched down in some nearby bushes. Officers located the stolen firearms, seven ammunition magazines, and ammunition where Munroe had been hiding. Munroe had previously been convicted of second-degree murder in New York. He was released on parole in 2018. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the City of Ocala Police Department, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Crockett.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.