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Press Release

Pinellas Man Sentenced To Forty Years’ Imprisonment For Attempted Use Of Weapon Of Mass Destruction

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Sami Osmakac (27, Pinellas Park) to 40 years in federal prison for the attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, and possession of a fully automatic firearm. The court also ordered Osmakac to forfeit property that he used to facilitate the offense, including the vehicle used on the night of his arrest. 

Osmakac was indicted on February 2, 2012. A federal jury found him guilty on June 10, 2014.

“This case represents another victory in our fight against terrorism,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III. “Our success here is due, in part, to assistance from the Muslim community, which brought this defendant’s violent intentions to the attention of law enforcement.”

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2012, Osmakac attempted to use weapons of mass destruction, including a car bomb, grenades, and a suicide explosive, at two locations in the Tampa Bay area. Specifically, his intended targets were MacDinton’s Irish Pub and the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Additionally, on January 7, 2012, Osmakac possessed a machinegun without the firearm being registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney and Trial Attorney Clement McGovern from the National Security Division at the Department of Justice.

Updated January 26, 2015