ames Patrick Sychowski, 48, of Tarpon Springs, has been sentenced to 12½ years in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced today.
According to court documents, Sychowski armed himself with a loaded AR-15-style “ghost gun” on February 7, 2023, at his mother’s home in Tarpon Springs. Prosecutors revealed that he had spent months building the firearm.
Authorities stated that Sychowski threatened to kill his mother and her husband and warned he would open fire on responding officers. When Tarpon Springs Police Department (TSPD) officers arrived, he fled but was later arrested in Clearwater.
Officers discovered the ghost gun on his bed, along with materials and accessories used to construct it. Investigators found that he had purchased firearm components online and had them shipped to the residence. Bank records, financial documents, and electronic evidence presented at trial confirmed his purchase of the gun parts, PMC 5.56mm ammunition, and a magazine from a local firearms store.
Sychowski has a long criminal history spanning two decades, including convictions for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, carjacking, sex crimes involving children, and bank robbery. Authorities noted that he had been out of prison for less than five months before he began assembling and loading his ghost gun.
