Panama City Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm

Tallahassee, Florida - Kendrick Parham, 47, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Under Operation Take Back America, my office will continue to deploy the full might of the Department of Justice toward removing the perpetrators of violent crime from our communities until our citizens get the safe, crime-free streets they deserve."

Court documents reflect that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives assisted the Bay County Sheriff's Office in the execution of a search warrant at the defendant's residence in Panama City, during which five ounces of methamphetamine were discovered, and he was arrested on state charges. While in jail, the defendant - a four-time convicted felon legally prohibited from possessing firearms - made incriminating statements during a monitored phone call about the presence of a firearm in his residence that was not previously found by officers during the search. After obtaining a new search warrant based on those incriminating statements, the Bay County Sheriff's Office conducted another search of the defendant's residence and recovered the firearm.

Parham's prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Forfeiture was ordered as to all four recovered firearms.

The case involved an investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

These cases are 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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.