Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing three firearms that he sold to an undercover law enforcement officer.

Robert E. Shepherd, 50, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

By pleading guilty today, Shepherd admitted that he sold a Glock 9mm pistol to an undercover federal agent for $500 on Aug. 31, 2020. Shepherd also admitted that he sold a Ruger .40-caliber pistol to an undercover federal agent for $700 on Sept. 1, 2020, and a Taurus 9mm pistol to a federal agent for $460 on Sept. 10, 2020. Each of the three transactions occurred at Shepherd’s residence.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearms or ammunition. Shepherd has two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and statutory sodomy.

Under federal statutes, Shepherd is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

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