Florida felon gets 5 years for having 4 tons of explosives

TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida felon has been sentenced to five years in prison for possessing nearly four tons of explosive fuses.

Court records say 57-year-old Marc Jason Levene, of Sarasota, was sentenced Wednesday in Tampa federal court. He pleaded guilty in September to two counts of possession of explosives by a convicted felon. He has had prior felony drug convictions that prohibited him from possessing or selling explosive materials.

A plea agreement says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating Levene in 2016 for selling explosives without a federal license or permit through a website called ThePyroPro.com.

The ATF and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office searched Levene’s home and storage unit in February and uncovered about 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms) of explosive fuses.