Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced Karey Tyrone Taylor II (42, Tampa) to 5 years and 11 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court also ordered Taylor to forfeit a firearm and magazine that were used in the offense. Taylor had pleaded guilty on May 13, 2022.

According to court documents, on January 2, 2021, Taylor brandished a firearm at a victim while she was driving on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa. The victim pulled into a nearby carwash, and Taylor confronted her. Standing face-to-face, Taylor told the victim that if he had known or seen that she was “all that,” then he would not have pulled a gun on her. The victim then told employees at the car wash what had happened, and an employee called the police.

Officers from the Tampa Police Department responded and interviewed the victim. The officers also located an SUV matching the description of Taylor’s vehicle. They found Taylor in the driver’s seat and detained him. While searching the vehicle, the officers found a black Taurus .45 caliber handgun with one round of ammunition in the chamber and 14 rounds in the magazine. A DNA sample later obtained from Taylor for comparison indicated that Taylor’s DNA matched DNA found on the handgun.

Taylor had previously been convicted of a felony offense, including possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and distribution of controlled substances in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Risha Asokan and Patrick Scruggs.

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.