Palm Beach County Man Sentenced To Twelve Years In Federal Prison For Possession Of A Firearm By A Felon

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Tzaddi Lamed D’Marcus Allen, 32, of Palm Beach County, Florida, was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison followed by five years’ supervised release for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The collaborative efforts of our partners in the Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative continue to produce impactful results, and we will continue working tirelessly to make North Florida safer,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “This sentence ensures that our community will be safer and sends a message that there are real and severe consequences for federal firearm offenses.”

“The Men and Women of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, in concert with our local, state and federal partners, will continue to pursue violent criminals who unlawfully possess firearms, to ensure that the citizens and visitors of this great county remain safe,” said Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr.

On the afternoon of January 31, 2022, a traffic stop was conducted by an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy, on a vehicle that Allen was operating. During the traffic stop, deputies confirmed that Allen did not have a valid driver’s license and that the vehicle’s window tint was darker than the legal limit of twenty eight percent. Deputies further detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle’s interior. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, deputies located marijuana throughout the vehicle and noticed that a piece of center console paneling appeared to have been removed and put back into place. A deputy removed the piece of panel and discovered a bag containing approximately 8 grams of a powdery substance (which was later identified as a combination of fentanyl and synthetic cathinone) sitting on top of a Canik 9-millimeter pistol. The pistol had a live round in the chamber, seventeen additional rounds of ammunition in the magazine, and had previously been reported stolen. Deputies on scene determined that Allen was a multi-time convicted felon and arrested him for state charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance. Upon arrival at the Alachua County Jail, Allen alerted deputies that he had another small baggie of the powdery substance concealed on his person.

Following his arrest, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms adopted the case for federal prosecution and conducted a follow-up investigation. That additional investigation included sending evidence to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime lab, which recovered DNA consistent with Allen from the firearm. Allen had prior felony convictions including Attempted Robbery, Aggravated Battery on Person 65 Years or Older, Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement, Sale of Cocaine, and Sale of Heroin within 1000 feet of a Convenience Business.  Allen had only been out of prison for approximately one month when the traffic-stop and arrest occurred.

This federal conviction resulted from the joint efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies that form the Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative (GVI). The Gainesville GVI was established in April 2019, by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida in an effort to stem the escalating gun violence in Gainesville and the surrounding area.  As GVI partners, the State Attorney’s Office for the Eight Judicial Circuit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Alachua Police Department, the University of Florida Police Department, and the Florida Department of Corrections share this commitment to protecting public safety.   

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 Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.