An Ohio man has been handed a four-year federal prison sentence for falsifying information to purchase firearms and illegally selling those firearms to minors. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Steven D. Merryday. The man, identified as Gabriel Gladman, 23, from Akron, was coerced by law to forfeit a collection of firearms that were involved in the transactions, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The court documents unveiled that between November 2022 and June 2023, Gabrial Gladman deceptively provided false information to firearms dealers in Tampa, to swiftly make the purchase of eight semi-automatic firearms. In a troubling revelation, on six distinct occasions, Gladman then sold or transferred some of these firearms to individuals under 18, some of which were then used in violent crimes in the Tampa area. At the time of his arrest in Ohio, Gladman was found with two additional firearms in his possession.
The case was a joint investigation effort by the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky was assigned the task of handling the forfeiture proceedings.
The sentencing and forfeiture of Gladman are in part of the larger strategy by the Department of Justice to combat violent crimes by enforcing stricter regulations around the sale and possession of firearms. The DOJ's initiative, titled Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), seeks to collaboratively lower gun violence and improve neighborhood safety.
