Deanthony Flowers, a 36-year-old Lakeland resident, has been handed down a sentence of five years and six months in federal prison for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Flowers' conviction came after he entered a guilty plea back in February 2025, following an incident where he was apprehended with a stolen firearm.
The events leading to this sentencing date back to a routine traffic stop on July 12, 2023, conducted by officers from the Lakeland Police Department. Flowers, who was alone in the vehicle at the time, was found to have a Glock Model 31, Gen 4 .357 pistol, complete with a loaded magazine, wedged between the seats. Officers confirmed that not only had Flowers been prohibited to legally possessing any such weaponry due to multiple prior felony convictions, but the firearm in question had also been reported stolen. His prior convictions include charges ranging from failure to register as a career offender to armed burglary.
This case was not just a local matter but involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman, as mentioned on Justice.gov. Assistant United States Attorney James Muench was charged with the task of handling the forfeiture.
Flowers’ sentencing is part of the larger initiative Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is a concerted effort to rally together law enforcement at all levels with the communities they serve, to not only effectively reduce gun violence and violent crime but also to ensure that neighborhoods are kept safer for everyone involved. As reported by Justice.gov, since its reinvigoration in May 2021, PSN has aimed on "fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities," to support organizations that help to preemptively prevent violence, and to strategically and carefully set enforcement priorities.
