FLORIDA – A Pensacola man is facing a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to making a false statement related to the purchase of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida (USAO) has announced.
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Tavaris East, 42, of Pensacola, pled guilty to making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer when purchasing a firearm, said Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to the USAO, on April 27, 2022, East purchased a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer. In doing so, he reportedly checked the box “yes” that he was “the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm” on the ATF Form 4473.
However, East purchased the firearm for Kennon Farrow, a convicted felon, the USAO said. The firearm was allegedly recovered by law enforcement on May 24, 2022, after it was used by Kennon Farrow to commit a homicide.
Sentencing is set for March 30, 2023, at 9 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II. East faces 10 years in prison.
The case resulted from an investigation by the Pensacola Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.
