Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Today, an Indiantown resident was sentenced to the statutory maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States 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 William Snyder, Sheriff, Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), made the announcement.

U.S. District Senior Judge Paul Huck sentenced Andrew Cunningham, III, 32, of Indiantown, Florida, to the maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On April 8, 2016, Cunningham was convicted by a Fort Pierce jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g).

According to the court record, including testimony at trial, on May 4, 2015, MCSO deputies responded to 911 calls reporting that Cunningham had broken a window at a cousin’s residence and threatened relatives after breaking another cousin’s truck window. During the early morning hours of May 5, 2015, Cunningham was brought to the Indiantown Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station. Cunningham had been shot in the abdomen while outside his residence, but refused to name his shooter. During the course of the shooting investigation, law enforcement responded to Cunningham’s residence. MCSO deputies received consent to search the residence for evidence of the shooting and discovered Cunningham’s bloody jacket, with a bullet hole consistent with his gunshot injury, inside his bedroom. In the pocket of the jacket, MCSO detectives found a Ruger .357 revolver, wrapped in a bandana. Cunningham was previously convicted of felony offenses and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Before pronouncing sentence, Senior Judge Huck stated that Cunningham obstructed justice by committing perjury during his testimony, which he found to be incredible and contradicted by numerous trial witnesses, who were members of Cunningham’s own family.

This case is the result 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.

Mr. Ferrer commends the investigative efforts of the ATF and MCSO for their work on this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carmen M. Lineberger and Daniel E. Funk.

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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