Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Jeffrey Scott Taylor, 51, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison after earlier pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on April 9, 2022, officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department were called to an apartment complex on Tappan Drive in Colorado Springs. Officers spoke with an individual who reported the defendant came to her apartment earlier that evening and said he wanted to show her something. She followed the defendant to his apartment, where he showed her a semi-automatic handgun sitting on his coffee table. Officers applied for, and received a lawful search warrant for the defendant’s apartment. Inside, they recovered a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol from the coffee table in the living room area. The pistol was loaded and contained eight rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber. In the bedroom closet, officers recovered a Smith and Wesson magazine and two boxes of .40 caliber ammunition. The defendant had been convicted of a felony prior to April 9, 2022, and was aware that he had been convicted of a felony.

Judge Raymond P. Moore sentenced the defendant on October 31, 2022.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to violent crime prevention, and taking illegal weapons off the streets is an important part of that,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “Under federal law, felons are prohibited from having firearms, and we will hold them accountable when they break the law.”

“Previously convicted felons who continue to unlawfully possess firearms have made the choice to continue to live a high-risk lifestyle which often leads to more violent gun crime in the communities they live and frequent,” said Special Agent in Charge David S. Booth. “We are grateful for the partnership with the Colorado Springs Police Department in this investigation, and to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for a successful prosecution.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Colorado Springs Police Department. Prosecution was handled by the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.

Case number: 22-cr-00162