DeBary Man Pleads Guilty To Dealing In Firearms Without A License

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Brandon Eugene Brooke (30, DeBary) has pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. Brooke faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between April 14 and October 10, 2022, Brooke purchased 69 firearms. Many of the firearms were identical and were purchased together or close in time to one another. On October 13, 2022, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) questioned Brooke regarding his repeated purchases of identical firearms from federal firearms license dealers (FFLs). A search of Brooke’s phone revealed evidence of firearms dealing.

Following the interview, ATF agents served Brooke with a “Warning Notice of Unlicensed Firearms Dealing in Violation of Federal Law.” In the Notice, Brooke was advised that his firearm transfers constituted dealing in firearms without a license. Brooke signed the Notice, acknowledging receipt, and was given a copy to retain. Following his acknowledgment of the Notice, Brooke continued to purchase and sell firearms to third parties, in violation of federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Noah P. Dorman.

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.