Federal agents caught Bradenton man with gun, ammo, records say. He’s going to prison
A Bradenton man is headed to federal prison after being convicted of illegally owning a firearm and ammunition, federal prosecutors announced.
A federal judge sentenced Star Stewart, 39, to eight years and nine months in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence follows Stewart’s November 2023 conviction, according to court records.
Stewart’s arrest stemmed from a November 2020 incident when U.S. Marshals arrived at a Bradenton home to take him into custody on a state warrant. Prosecutors said officers saw him on the back patio before he fled inside. After arresting him, officers recovered a Glock 19 handgun with an extended magazine in the area where he had been seated, according to a news release.
Stewart’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including sale or delivery of cocaine and armed robbery.
Federal prosecutors say Stewart later admitted to owning the gun, despite being legally barred from doing so due to his earlier felony convictions. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarasota Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
In 2020, the Bradenton Herald previously reported that Stewart and his girlfriend robbed a woman at an Ellenton motel and dragged her naked through the parking lot with their car. Court records show Stewart pleaded no contest to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and grand theft.
