Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing an indictment charging Gabriel Gladman, 23, of Akron, Ohio, with eight counts of providing false statements with the intent to purchase firearms and six counts of selling/transferring a firearm to a juvenile under the age of 18.

If convicted, Gladman faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for each false statement count and up to a year in federal prison for each count of selling/transferring a firearm to a juvenile. The indictment also notifies Gladman that the United States intends to forfeit the following eight firearms: a Smith & Wesson, SD40 (.40 caliber semi-automatic firearm), a Taurus G2 semi-automatic firearm, a Glock 24 semi-automatic firearm, a FMK 9C1 semi-automatic firearm, two Taurus G3 semi-automatic firearms, and two Tara TM-9X semi-automatic firearms, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictment, between Nov. 22, 2022, and June 16, 2023, Gladman bought semi-automatic firearms on eight separate occasions in Tampa, providing false information to federally licensed firearm dealers each time. Gladman represented that he was the actual buyer of the firearms, when in fact he was buying the firearms on behalf of someone else. On six separate occasions, Gladman sold or transferred those firearms to juveniles under the age of 18.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Guzman. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Nebesky is handling the forfeiture of the firearms.

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.

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