DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Pamela C. Marsh
, United States Attorney
Contact: Robert Davis

Tallahassee Man Sentenced As Armed Career Criminal

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDAUnited States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh announced today that Michael Townsend Anthony, 40, of Tallahassee, has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison today for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Because Anthony had previously been convicted of three or more crimes of violence committed on separate occasions, he faced a minimum fifteen year term of imprisonment.

Anthony was stopped by officers of the Tallahassee Police Department on August 13, 2013, because his vehicle’s windows were illegally tinted.  A police canine alerted to the odors of controlled substances in the car, leading to the discovery of crack cocaine, oxycodone, and drug packaging.  The car also held a loaded 9 millimeter pistol and two loaded 12-gauge shotguns.  Mr. Arnold’s passenger, Issac Williams, 39, was recently sentenced to state prison for a probation violation arising from the same incident.

Anthony pled guilty after his motion to suppress was denied.

In imposing sentence, United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle determined that Anthony possessed the firearms in connection with drug distribution offenses.  Judge Hinkle also imposed a five-year term of supervision to be served upon release from custody and a $100 special monetary assessment.

At sentencing, the government noted that Anthony had eighteen prior felony convictions and that he had only been out of custody for limited periods since 1991.  Anthony was last released from the Florida Department of Corrections in June 2012, thirteen months before the new arrest.

U.S. Attorney Marsh praised the joint efforts of the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael T. Simpson prosecuted this case.

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Tampa Field Division