Jacksonville, FL –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Adam Taylor (32, St. Augustine) has pleaded guilty to illegally purchasing firearms. Taylor faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. In addition, Taylor has agreed to forfeit the firearms traceable to the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Taylor was intercepted on a state wiretap discussing the purchase of firearms with a member of a suspected drug trafficking organization (DTO). On August 18, 2021, Taylor purchased two Century Arms Draco 7.62 x 39mm pistols from a gun dealer in St. Augustine. Taylor lied to the gun dealer when he completed paperwork claiming that he was buying the firearms for himself. Shortly after purchasing the firearms, Taylor delivered the pistols to the DTO member.
On September 9, 2021, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at the DTO member’s residence in St. Augustine. As a result of the search, the located and seized the two Century Arms, Draco, 7.62 x 39mm pistols that Taylor had purchased.
This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot. The forfeiture of assets is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
This case is being 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.