DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Middle District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, August 20, 2014
A. Lee Bently, III
, United States Attorney
Contact: William Daniels

Sanford Felon Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm

Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp today sentenced Bobby Deon Horn (32, Sanford) to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Horn pleaded guilty on May 28, 2014.

According to court documents, on November 23, 2013, officers from the Orlando Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting that several males were smoking marijuana in the area of a closed Post Office on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. Upon arriving at that location, the officers observed Horn and others standing near the closed Post Office. Horn was holding an open container of alcohol and the officers smelled the odor of marijuana on him. The officers eventually searched Horn and recovered from him a loaded semiautomatic pistol, narcotic pills, and $1,481 in cash. Prior to possessing the firearm and ammunition on November 23, 2013, Horn had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including a serious drug offense and a violent felony. As such, Horn was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Orlando Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Searle.

This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Trevor Velinor, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is another example of ATF’s Frontline Strategy to impact violent crime within our communities.

Tampa Field Division