Opa-Locka Felon Pleads Guilty To Stealing Firearm

Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Gee Seymour (31, Opa-Locka) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a stolen firearm. Seymour faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for each offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the court documents, on December 13, 2023, Seymour entered a pawn shop in Clearwater and stole a Ruger LC9 9mm pistol from a display case. The next day, the store owner called the ATF Tampa office and the Clearwater Police Department to report the stolen firearm. Just after midnight, Seymour's vehicle was stopped by officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department due to the vehicle having no operable lights. During the traffic stop, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and searched Seymour's vehicle. The officers located the firearm he had stolen from the pawn shop the day before. On December 21, 2023, ATF agents interviewed Seymour who admitted that he had stolen the firearm and was a convicted felon at the time. As a convicted felon, Seymour is prohibited from possessing a firearm of ammunition under federal law.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clearwater Police Department, and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.