Orange Park man with history of mental illness indicted for illegally attempting to buy firearm

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Timothy Crowe, a 54-year-old resident of Orange Park, with making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer during the attempted purchase of a firearm. If convicted, Crowe could face up to five years in federal prison.

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According to the indictment, Crowe completed an ATF Form 4473 during his attempted purchase of a firearm from Best Deal Gun and Pawn, a federally licensed firearms dealer. On the required paperwork, Crowe indicated that he did not have a history of mental illness. However, the indictment alleges that this statement was false, as Crowe had previously been adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity in two Clay County felony cases.

An indictment is a formal charge that indicates a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. It is essential to note that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case is another instance identified through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). All NICS denials are reported to federal law enforcement agencies and are routinely reviewed for potential criminal prosecution. Federal law deems it a felony offense to make a false statement to a firearms dealer when attempting to purchase a firearm.

The investigation into this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and it will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

This case falls under the jurisdiction of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that unites various levels of law enforcement with the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, ultimately striving to create safer neighborhoods for all residents.

On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy, reinforcing PSN based on core principles such as building trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that work to prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and consistently measuring results.

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