Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II today sentenced Christopher Lawrence Leslie (25, Homosassa) to four years and four months in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon and for possessing a National Firearms Act (NFA) firearm (short-barreled rifle). The Court also ordered Leslie to forfeit the firearms and ammunition associated with the offenses. Leslie had been indicted on November 9, 2021, and had pleaded guilty on December 15, 2021.
According to court documents, on October 19, 2021, deputies from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary call at a property where Leslie was residing. During the investigation, the deputies discovered Leslie, a convicted felon, in possession of three firearms—a revolver, a rifle with a scope, and a sawed-off, bolt-action rifle—as well as assorted ammunition. The bolt-action rifle had an overall length of approximately 20 inches and a barrel length of approximately 10 inches, making it an NFA firearm (short-barreled rifle). This firearm was not registered to Leslie in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law. After his arrest, Leslie admitted that all of the recovered firearms and ammunition belonged to him. As a convicted felon, Leslie is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.