A Mississippi man has received nearly four years in federal prison for counterfeiting and gun charges. Bryan Lyndell Chapman, 27, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan to 46 months following his involvement in creating fake currency and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence also includes forfeiture of a Bushmaster pistol, ammunition, a counterfeit note-making printer, and restitution to the defrauded businesses.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Chapman traveled from Tennessee to Florida, engaging in a spree of fraudulent activity. It was during this period that he was found to quickly manufacture counterfeit Federal Reserve notes and circulate them across various establishments. On January 17, 2024, law enforcement discovered a loaded firearm and materials for counterfeiting inside Chapman's vehicle, when a deputy from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation. At that time, Chapman had been out on bond for a felony firearm charge in Mississippi and had a prior felony aggravated assault conviction in Tennessee.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Jacksonville Office, and the United States Secret Service's Jacksonville Office collaboratively pursued the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein was responsible for prosecuting the case.
This case has been part of the wider Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative to bring together law enforcement at all levels with the communities they serve. The aim is to significantly reduce violent crime and gun violence, ensuring safer neighborhoods. The Department of Justice reinvigorated this strategy on May 26, 2021, fundamentally to foster trust and legitimacy within communities, support organizations aiming to prevent violent crime, set strategic law enforcement priorities, and to effectively measure the outcomes of these strategies.
