Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Keon Moore (30, Tampa) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute them. Moore had been indicted on June 4, 2020. A jury found him guilty on October 21, 2021.
According to testimony and evidence presented during sentencing and the four-day trial, Moore is a convicted felon and a high-ranking member of Money Power Respect (MPR)—a violent and rapidly growing prison and street gang that operates throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. Prior to being apprehended and convicted in this case, Moore stored guns and drugs for use by himself and others, sold guns and drugs, and threatened violence to collect drug debts. In one of Moore’s private Facebook communications, a person to whom Moore had provided drugs on consignment, but who failed to pay on time, begged Moore not to kill him via drive-by shooting over the $90 he owed Moore.
The charges brought in this case revolved around a Public Storage unit rented by Moore. After a law enforcement drug-detecting dog alerted to Moore’s unit, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of the unit. Inside the otherwise empty 50 square-foot unit, officers located seven guns, including two rifles; ammunition; approximately 45 grams of pure methamphetamine; 34 grams of cocaine; 53 grams of Eutylone; and 1.6 kilograms of marijuana, among other drugs; and a clothing item containing Moore’s DNA. Ballistics analysis linked one of the guns to five unsolved shootings.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Gordon. This case is part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and dismantle the MPR gang.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.