TAMPA — A 60-year-old convicted felon who sold methamphetamine and a revolver with an obliterated serial number to an undercover officer has been sentenced to seven years and nine months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Jeffrey Hennig of Tampa pleaded guilty in March 2026 to distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of firearms with altered serial numbers. U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell imposed the sentence.
The case dates to March 2024, when officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department coordinated the purchase of methamphetamine and a firearm from Hennig. According to court documents, an undercover officer purchased a .22 H&R Model 929 revolver with an obliterated serial number from Hennig, along with 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. Hennig then weighed out 28 grams of methamphetamine and sold it to the undercover officer for $200.
Agents searched Hennig’s apartment later that month and seized two additional loaded firearms — a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver and a Hi-Point JCP .40 caliber S&W with a loaded extended magazine. The Hi-Point also had an obliterated serial number. As a convicted felon, Hennig is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman prosecuted the case.
Federal prosecutors designated the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed “to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.” The case also falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the DOJ’s longstanding program targeting gun crime in American communities.