Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Ezra L. Ealy, 21, a convicted felon, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for possessing a sawed off shotgun and ammunition while on the streets of Fort Pierce by U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra, sitting in Fort Pierce.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Carlos A. Canino, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, and Diane Hobley-Burney, Chief, Fort Pierce Police Department (FTPPD), made the announcement.

Ealy, a Fort Pierce resident, was charged by indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on July 13, 2015, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Ealy faced a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison.

According to the allegations contained in court filings and detention hearing testimony, on July 13, 2015, an ATF Special Agent and a FTPPD Detective responded to a radio call of shots being fired by a large bearded male with a shotgun in the area of 31st & Avenue F in Fort Pierce, Florida. Upon arrival, the law enforcement officers observed Ealy, who fit the description, running away from the site of the call. During their pursuit, the agents observed Ealy stop, and open and close the lid of a recycling bin. Thereafter, agents recovered a sawed off Winchester 12 gauge shotgun in the trash bin. After his apprehension, agents recovered two (2) unspent Winchester shotgun shells from Ealy’s pocket, and one spent shotgun shell from the chamber of the shotgun. Fingerprints also linked Ealy to the shotgun.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is a Department of Justice nationwide initiative that combines traditional law enforcement activities with community-based support and intervention programs. The two primary goals of the PSN initiative are to reduce and prevent violent crimes and to help past offenders adjust and re-enter the community. This program emphasizes and facilitates cooperative federal, state and local prosecution of firearm crimes, violent criminals, repeat violent offenders and gang related criminal activity.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ATF and the Fort Pierce Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. 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 on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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