A 31-year-old Ocala man will spend over 3 years in federal prison for possessing a loaded firearm as a convicted felon.
On Friday morning, Ricky Darnell Franklin, Jr. was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Gregory A. Presnell to three years and four months in federal prison for the firearm offense. In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of the handgun and ammunition that was in Franklin’s possession when the offense was committed.
Franklin had pleaded guilty on December 12, 2022.
According to court records, Franklin has four prior state felony convictions, including two convictions for attempted second degree murder with a firearm, shooting at or into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a delinquent. These felony convictions were all in 2010.
Court records show that on September 30, 2021, Ocala Police Department officers stopped a vehicle in which Franklin was a passenger. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered methamphetamine and a loaded handgun.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted laboratory testing on the recovered firearm, and the results “conclusively showed” that Franklin’s DNA was on multiple parts of the loaded firearm. As a convicted felon, Franklin is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
The case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk.