Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Machinegun

Tampa, FL - Edward Anderson (45, Bradenton) has been sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Badalamenti to eight years and four months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a machinegun. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents and proceedings, Anderson is a convicted felon with multiple felony narcotics convictions and a prior firearm conviction. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

On July 30, 2025, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Anderson's residence. Inside, they found four firearms, one of which had been converted into a machinegun by way of a machinegun conversion device. Law enforcement later swabbed this firearm for DNA, and the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory determined that Anderson's DNA was present on the firearm.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.