PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Dennis A. Toomer, 37, of Valparaiso, Florida, was sentenced to 240 months in
federal prison after having previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted
felon. The sentence was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern
District of Florida.
“We will vigorously prosecute those whose actions recklessly endanger the public,” U.S. Attorney
Keefe said. “This convicted felon chose to arm himself with a firearm and now will pay the heavy
consequences for his actions.”
In the early morning hours of May 8, 2019, Toomer was arrested by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s
Office after battering his pregnant girlfriend and threatening her and her two juvenile brothers
with a loaded handgun. Toomer was prohibited from having a firearm because he had been previously
convicted of 15 felony offenses, including five battery convictions, four drug- related
convictions, and a conviction for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Because Toomer had at
least three prior convictions for a violent felony or a serious drug offense, he was subject to
enhanced penalties under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Forbes prosecuted the case after a joint investigation by the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
“Reducing violent crime and protecting the public in the communities that we serve is a priority
for ATF,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary. “We will continue to work vigorously with
our law enforcement partners to make sure those individuals who commit violent firearms crimes are
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce
gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of
2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence;
enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting
gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources
are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case with support from Project Guardian partners, the Pensacola Police
Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information about Project Guardian, please visit:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/attorney-general-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan-reduce-gun.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that
serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access
public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Description: The fiscal year of the data file obtained from the AOUSC
Format: YYYY
Description: The code of the federal judicial circuit where the case was located
Format: A2
Description: The code of the federal judicial district where the case was located
Format: A2
Description: The code of the district office where the case was located
Format: A2
Description: Docket number assigned by the district to the case
Format: A7
Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which cannot be modified by the court
Format: A3
Description: A unique number assigned to each defendant in a case which can be modified by the court
Format: A3
Description: A sequential number indicating whether a case is an original proceeding or a reopen
Format: N5
Description: Case type associated with the current defendant record
Format: A2
Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, defendant number, and reopen sequence number
Format: A18
Description: A concatenation of district, office, docket number, case type, and reopen sequence number
Format: A15
Description: The status of the defendant as assigned by the AOUSC
Format: A2
Description: A code indicating the fugitive status of a defendant
Format: A1
Description: The date upon which a defendant became a fugitive
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date upon which a fugitive defendant was taken into custody
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date when a case was first docketed in the district court
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date upon which proceedings in a case commenced on charges pending in the district court where the defendant appeared, or the date of the defendant’s felony-waiver of indictment
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: A code used to identify the nature of the proceeding
Format: N2
Description: The date when a defendant first appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: A code indicating the event by which a defendant appeared before a judicial officer in the district court where a charge was pending
Format: A2
Description: A code indicating the type of legal counsel assigned to a defendant
Format: N2
Description: The title and section of the U.S. Code applicable to the offense committed which carried the highest severity
Format: A20
Description: A code indicating the level of offense associated with FTITLE1
Format: N2
Description: The four digit AO offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4
Description: The four digit D2 offense code associated with FTITLE1
Format: A4
Description: A code indicating the severity associated with FTITLE1
Format: A3
Description: The FIPS code used to indicate the county or parish where an offense was committed
Format: A5
Description: The date of the last action taken on the record
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date upon which judicial proceedings before the court concluded
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date upon which the final sentence is recorded on the docket
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The date upon which the case was closed
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: The total fine imposed at sentencing for all offenses of which the defendant was convicted and a fine was imposed
Format: N8
Description: A count of defendants filed including inter-district transfers
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants filed excluding inter-district transfers
Format: N1
Description: A count of original proceedings commenced
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants filed whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants terminated including interdistrict transfers
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants terminated excluding interdistrict transfers
Format: N1
Description: A count of original proceedings terminated
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants terminated whose proceedings commenced by reopen, remand, appeal, or retrial
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period including long term fugitives
Format: N1
Description: A count of defendants pending as of the last day of the period excluding long term fugitives
Format: N1
Description: The source from which the data were loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: A10
Description: A sequential number indicating the iteration of the defendant record
Format: N2
Description: The date the record was loaded into the AOUSC’s NewSTATS database
Format: YYYYMMDD
Description: Statistical year ID label on data file obtained from the AOUSC which represents termination year