St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to More Then 15 Years for Gun Possession
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced Tremain Dexter Bargman (29, St. Petersburg) yesterday to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The court also ordered him to forfeit the firearm he had possessed. Bargman pleaded guilty on June 25, 2012.
According to court documents, in February and March 2012, Bargman was involved in a series of cocaine base ("crack cocaine") sales to confidential informants. On March 9, 2012, following a narcotics transaction, Bargman was arrested. Law enforcement officers recovered a 9mm Luger pistol from the car in which Bargman had been a passenger during the transaction. At the time of the transaction and his subsequent arrest, Bargman was a previously convicted felon, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini.
It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice's "Project Safe Neighborhoods" program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy led by ATF. United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill, along with Virginia O'Brien, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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