Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of illegally possessing a firearm.

Dionandre Ganter, 30, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and of receiving a firearm while under indictment. Ganter has been detained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Ganter was in possession of a loaded Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol on March 22, 2017. Ganter, a convicted felon, received that firearm while under indictment for tampering and resisting arrest in Jackson County, Mo.

At 2:55 a.m. on March 22, 2017, Kansas City, Mo., police officers responded to a reported shooting at the intersection of Van Brunt Boulevard and Anderson Avenue. An officer saw Ganter, who was not wearing a shirt and had his right wrist bandaged, leaving the area. The officer saw Ganter place a handgun in a flowerpot on the northwest corner of the intersection.

Ganter was detained for further investigation and the firearm was retrieved from the flowerpot.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ganter has two prior felony convictions for domestic battery and a prior felony conviction for obstruction of legal process.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Monday, May 6, 2019.

Under federal statutes, Ganter is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.