Century Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Weapons & Explosives

Pensacola, Florida - Joshua Dean Hardy, 27, of Century, Florida, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for two counts of possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon without a serial number and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "I deeply appreciate the outstanding investigative work of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office and our federal law enforcement partners, which led to this successful prosecution and federal prison sentence. We will continue to deliver justice under Operation Take Back America to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that we will stop at nothing to secure the safety of our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."

Court records reflect that during the early morning hours on July 23, 2025, Hardy shot himself in the leg while patrolling his property in Century, Florida. At the time of the shooting, Hardy was already under investigation for possession of an unregistered silencer located during a November 2023 traffic stop. A search of Hardy's residence uncovered an additional unregistered silencer, homemade explosives, and a firearm with the serial number removed.

The case was investigated jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Patterson prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.