Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Jerry Wana Taylor (52, Coleman) guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Taylor was indicted on January 7, 2015.

According to evidence presented at trial, on September 29, 2013, deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Taylor was a passenger. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded .22 caliber handgun inside the fuse box, near the passenger-side floor board. Results of forensic analyses revealed that DNA on the handgun matched Taylor’s DNA.

Taylor was previously convicted of numerous felonies including attempted murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and burglary and therefore is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. As such, he qualifies for an enhanced penalty under the Armed Career Criminal statute.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bryon R. Aven.

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