JACKSONVILLE – Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan sentenced Paul Steven Hulbert, 28, of Middleburg, to three years in federal prison for the unlawful possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act firearm, a sawed-off shotgun. Hulbert made his initial appearance in federal court on November 18, 2022, and was ordered detained. He entered a guilty plea on June 20, 2023.

According to court documents and public records, in May 2021, a court in Clay County issued a “Temporary Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence with Minor Children” against Hulbert. The court extended the injunction until September 2022. The injunction expressly prohibited Hulbert from possessing firearms and directed him to surrender any firearms to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. In October 2021, Hulbert was convicted in Clay County of the misdemeanor crime of domestic battery. After the domestic battery conviction and issuance of the domestic violence injunction, both of which prohibited him from possessing firearms, Hulbert obtained seven firearms, including rifles, pistols and a shotgun.

On May 16, 2022, members of the CCSO went to Hulbert’s home to serve an arrest warrant for violating the terms of the injunction. Upon arriving at the home, the CCSO arrested him and searched the house. They located four rifles, a revolver, a pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun. A follow-up investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined that the 12-gauge shotgun was illegally modified, as both barrels had been sawed off. ATF determined that the 12-gauge shotgun was not registered to Hulbert in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

The case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Jacksonville Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Frein prosecuted it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.