U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
Western District of Missouri

Western District of Missouri

www.justice.gov/usao/mow

For Immediate Release

November 29, 2012

Jury Convicts KC Man of Illegal Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today of illegally possessing firearms.

Jason L. Robbins, 32, of Kansas City, was found guilty of all four counts contained in a Feb. 28, 2011, federal indictment. Robbins was convicted of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a stolen firearm.

On May 16, 2010, Kansas City police officers observed a vehicle that they believed to be stolen. As the officers approached the car, Robbins, who had previously been seated in the read driver’s seat, began running away from the officers. An officer chased Robbins saw him pull a black handgun from his waistband and throw it on the sidewalk. Robbins was immediately placed under arrest. The handgun, a Taurus .45–caliber pistol, was loaded with nine live rounds of ammunition.

Investigators later learned that the firearm was stolen in a residential burglary on April 28, 2010, in which numerous firearms were taken.

On Aug. 19, 2009, Kansas City police officers were dispatched on a domestic violence disturbance where a party was armed with a firearm. Officers observed Robbins forcing a woman to walk down the street with him. When Robbins saw the officers he ran and the officers pursued him, apprehending him after a brief foot chase. A police dog located a Hi–Point semi–automatic 9mm pistol along the path where Robbins had fled. The firearm had been reported as stolen from a victim’s home earlier that day.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Robbins has prior felony convictions for non-support, tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about three hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012.

Under federal statutes, Robbins is subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $1 million. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jalilah Otto and Stacey Perkins–Rock. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

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