Fort Pierce Felon Convicted of Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm and More Than Two Pounds of Marijuana
On February 14, 2019, Jose Antonio Morales, 33, of Fort Pierce, was convicted, by a federal jury in West Palm Beach, of being a felon unlawfully in possession of a firearm and possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute the controlled substance.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ari C. Shapira, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office and Ken J. Mascara, Sheriff, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, made the announcement.
According to the court record, including evidence introduced at trial, in June 2018 law enforcement seized two pounds of high-grade marijuana and a loaded firearm from a safe in Morales’ bedroom while executing a search warrant at his residence in Fort Pierce. Morales is a convicted felon and was prohibited, by law, to possess a firearm and/or ammunition.
Morales faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each count of conviction (Case No. 18-Cr-14056). He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg on April 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the ATF and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Porter and Marton Gyires.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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