Tampa Man On Federal Supervised Release For Firearm Offense Sentenced To 14 Years For Possessing A Firearm (DOJ)

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Benjamin Cedric Graddy (41, Tampa) to 14 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for violating the terms of his supervised release in a separate federal criminal case. Graddy entered a guilty plea on October 2, 2024.

According to court documents, on March 17, 2023, officers from the Tampa Police Department (TPD) observed a vehicle driven by Graddy fail to stop at a stop sign in Ybor City, Florida. During the traffic stop, the officers smelled burnt marijuana and observed white power in plain view on the driver's floorboard. A search of the vehicle revealed a Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm loaded with 22 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine in the vehicle's center console. TPD officers also found a distribution amount of dimethylpentylone in two containers in the vehicle, cocaine in Graddy's pocket, a digital scale, and small plastic baggies.

At the time of the incident, Graddy was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction involving possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Michael J. Buchanan.

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.