BRADENTON, Fla. – He flaunted his illegal lifestyle in pictures, but now those photos have helped land a Bradenton man behind bars for over seven years. Terry Lavon McDonald, Jr., 32, learned his fate today as U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced him to seven years and six months in federal prison for a string of serious offenses.
Those charges included possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, the case began on October 5, 2023, when Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at a Bradenton residence following a series of controlled fentanyl purchases. McDonald was found alone in a vehicle parked in the driveway.
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A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun, a digital scale, fentanyl, and cocaine.
McDonald, already a multi-convicted felon with prior convictions for drug dealing, fleeing police, and carrying a concealed weapon, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The final nail in his coffin came from his own cellphone. Seized during his arrest, the phone contained multiple photographs showing McDonald posing with suspected firearms and narcotics.
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As part of his sentence, McDonald was also ordered to forfeit the Smith & Wesson firearm and ammunition used in the crime. He had pleaded guilty to the charges on November 22, 2024.
The case was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, with Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang leading the prosecution.
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