Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Del Rio Armed Career Criminal Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm
Tampa, Fla. – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Kenneth Lorenzo Jackson (48, Del Rio) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Jackson faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years in federal prison under the Armed Career Criminal Act. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Jackson was indicted on September 7, 2022, in a separate federal case charging him with possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Because of that indictment, Jackson was the subject of a federal arrest warrant. On October 18, 2022, officers from the Tampa Police Department were patrolling the Sulphur Springs neighborhood of Tampa when they encountered Jackson walking along the street. The officers were familiar with Jackson and were aware of his outstanding arrest warrant. When the officers arrested Jackson, they recovered a loaded firearm (Phoenix Arms HP22A .22 caliber pistol) that was tucked in the front waistband of his pants. The officers also found a crack rock in his pocket and a small quantity of MDMA. Jackson later admitted to possessing the firearm for two weeks for protection.
Jackson has multiple prior felony convictions for drug offenses and is therefore prohibited from carrying a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Shauna S. Hale.
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 of Justice 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.
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