Federal Jury Convicts Englewood Felon for Weapons Violation
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces a federal jury convicted Joseph Gaye, 37, of Englewood, of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a prohibited person.
According to evidence presented at trial, on October 19, 2020, Denver Police Officers responded to a call of a shooting in the 100 block of North Cook Street in Denver. The caller, later identified as Joseph Gaye, told officers he had been shot by an individual in a mask. Officers responded to the building and encountered Gaye, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the groin area. Officers conducted a search and did not locate anyone else inside the building and did not observe any other signs of forced entry. Detectives then found a Sig Saur semi-automatic 9mm pistol with no serial number inside the desk that Gaye was found next to. The Sig Saur was found underneath a piece of paper with Gaye’s name on it. The Sig Saur had eleven rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. Detectives also found several boxes of ammunition next the firearm. The defendant's injuries were determined to be self-inflicted. The defendant had previously been convicted of a felony, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition.
U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez presided over the three-day trial. The jury returned its guilty verdict on November 9, 2022. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19, 2023.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Denver Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Tom Minser and Albert Buchman.
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: 21-cr-15
