Department of Justice

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Raymond Lee Kelly (53, Cocoa) to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Because of his extensive criminal record, which includes drug trafficking, resisting arrest with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, Kelly qualified as an Armed Career Criminal and faced a 15-year minimum mandatory sentence. Kelly was also on supervised release from a federal prison sentence when he committed the recent offense. A federal jury had found Kelly guilty on September 1, 2020.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Kelly, a convicted felon, fled from a traffic stop in Cocoa Beach—first in a car that he crashed shortly after fleeing—then on foot toward the beach. As he fled, he left behind cannabis, a digital scale, a Ruger semi-automatic handgun, and 16 rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Kelly is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cocoa Beach Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

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