Judge gives maximum sentence to Florida felon for weapons stockpile in home

FLORIDA – A judge has given a Florida felon the maximum sentence for stockpiling firearms and ammunition in his Kissimmee home.

Daniel Stephen King, 28, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr., to 10 years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered King to forfeit nine firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition.

A federal jury found King guilty on November 14, 2022.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on April 23, 2022, the Osceola County Sherriff’s Office was called to King’s residence due to a domestic disturbance. When the deputies arrived, a resident of the house frantically ran outside with her four-year-old daughter.

The deputies said they were informed that King had a large number of firearms and ammunition in the house and that King had strapped on a bulletproof vest. At the time, King was a convicted felon on probation and prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

The deputies surrounded the house, and after approximately two hours, they persuaded King to come out and surrender. A warrant was obtained to search the residence, and nine firearms were reportedly recovered, including three rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a ballistic vest.

A rifle safe, multiple gun lock boxes, magazines, and ammunition can also were reportedly recovered from inside the house.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, King has a criminal history that includes multiple firearms offenses for which he served prison time, as well as violations of probation.

This case was investigated by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney John M. Gardella prosecuted it.