Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland, sitting by designation from the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, has sentenced Jamal Dixon (23, Ruskin) to nine years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Dixon pleaded guilty on December 10, 2024. The court also ordered Dixon to forfeit the firearm.
According to court documents, on April 4, 2024, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office conducted surveillance at a location in Tampa to locate and arrest Dixon on an outstanding warrant. Dixon exited a residence, placed a backpack in a vehicle, then ran from deputies when they approached the vehicle. While fleeing, Dixon dropped a Glock pistol with an extended magazine. After finding Dixon hiding underneath another vehicle parked in a nearby driveway, deputies retrieved and searched the backpack and found over 450 grams of marijuana, digital scales, and a large quantity of plastic baggies. The pistol had been reported stolen and the magazine recovered from the firearm had the capacity to store up to 22 rounds of ammunition.
Dixon, having previously been convicted of felony offenses for discharging a firearm in public and for possession of controlled substances with intent to sell or deliver, is 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 Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
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.