Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Elijah Howard (22, Tampa) to eight years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Howard to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Howard had pleaded guilty on April 20, 2022.

According to court documents, on December 21, 2021, officers from the Tampa Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Howard was a passenger. As the officers approached the vehicle, they observed Howard reaching for a firearm on the front passenger floorboard. At the time, Howard had multiple prior felony convictions and was not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition. Officers recovered the firearm, a Glock-19 semi-automatic firearm loaded with 34 rounds of 9-mm ammunition in an extended magazine. A photograph that Howard had posted on social media earlier in December 2021 showed him brandishing the Glock pistol.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Marcet.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.