BRADENTON, Fla. – A Bradenton man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Eugene Washington, Jr., 36, Bradenton, faces a maximum penalty of 55 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement, on the morning of August 12, 2022, officers from the Bradenton Police Department (BPD) responded to a call for service from a concerned citizen regarding an unresponsive man at the steering wheel of his Ford Focus vehicle in the 700 block of 9th Street East in Bradenton.
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The vehicle was stopped in traffic and facing the traffic light in the median lane.
Once at the scene, BPD officers asked Washington to exit the vehicle, and when he did, the officers noticed a silver and black Smith and Wesson SD40 .40 caliber pistol on the driver’s seat. Washington turned back into the car and appeared to reach for the firearm.
The firearm was loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition.
Officers also found a backpack inside the vehicle, located on the passenger floorboard. The backpack contained a variety of controlled substances, including approximately 44 grams of fentanyl, 35 grams of methamphetamine, 106 grams of cocaine, 36 grams of hydrocodone, 10 grams of oxycodone, 433 grams of dimethylpentylone (a substituted cathinone), and 21 grams of cannabis. Washington admitted to the officers that he was a convicted felon.
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Washington was previously convicted in federal court for distribution of heroin and served a prison sentence for that offense. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bradenton Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
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