Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to Fifteen Years for Possessing a Firearm

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp has sentenced Patrick Willie Smith (41, Daytona Beach) to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Court also ordered him to forfeit an FEG (.45-caliber) pistol and seven rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. Smith pleaded guilty on September 21, 2016.

According to the plea agreement, in January 2016, Smith possessed a loaded pistol. At the time of the incident, he had 13 previous felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Daytona Beach Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.

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 Daryl R. McCrary, 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 also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime in communities.