Tampa Clothing Store Operator Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm Possession

TAMPA—U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Reem Faria (37, Tampa) yesterday to 34 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also ordered to pay a fine of $2,500. A federal jury found Faria guilty of the charge on June 6, 2012.

According to evidence presented at trial, Faria operated several Tampa area businesses, including Suit World Urban City Clothing (“Suit World”) in Tampa. As part of Operation Rainmaker, on September 1, 2011, a federal search warrant was executed at Suit World. During the search, Faria, a previously convicted felon, told agents that he kept a gun under the counter for protection. Law enforcement agents recovered a Taurus .38 Special revolver, three rounds of .38 caliber ammunition, and approximately $10,490 in cash from Suit World. Because of his prior felony conviction, Faria is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Mueller and Sara Sweeney.

This is another case prosecuted as part of Operation Rainmaker, a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat the filing of false tax returns in the Tampa Bay region. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and various federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are working together as part of this operation.