TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – James Patrick Sychowski, 48, of Tarpon Springs, has been sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle, follows Sychowski’s conviction by a federal jury on December 6, 2024.
The case stemmed from a February 7, 2023, incident at his mother’s residence in Tarpon Springs. According to trial testimony and evidence, Sychowski armed himself with a loaded, self-built AR-15 “ghost gun” and threatened to kill his mother and her husband.
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He also threatened to shoot any police officers who responded to the scene.
When Tarpon Springs Police Department officers arrived, Sychowski fled, leading to his eventual arrest in Clearwater. Officers discovered the assembled AR-15 ghost gun, along with construction materials and accessories used to build the weapon, in his room. Further investigation revealed that Sychowski had purchased the AR-15 components online and had them shipped to his mother’s residence.
Financial records, including bank statements and electronic evidence, corroborated Sychowski’s purchase of the ghost gun components, as well as PMC 5.56mm ammunition and a magazine from a local firearms store.
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Sychowski’s extensive criminal history, spanning over 20 years, includes convictions for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, carjacking, various sex crimes involving children, and bank robbery.
He had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections less than five months before beginning to assemble his ghost gun.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Tarpon Springs Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and David J. Pardo prosecuted the case.
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