Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot another person.

Rico V. Gilliam, 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 2, 2017, Gilliam was found guilty at trial of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Gilliam was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on Oct. 17, 2014, and again on Nov. 6, 2014.

Kansas City police officers responded to a residence at about 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 17, 2014, to investigate a shooting. The victim told officers that Gilliam, who had come into the victim’s home, fired two shots at him during an argument that occurred about 3 a.m. One shot had struck him in the leg. He also said Gilliam pointed the gun at him and threatened to shoot him in the face if he did not leave his own residence. The victim and his girlfriend then walked to a nearby car lot. They jumped a fence and hid inside a Jeep until they called the police later that morning. Investigators interviewed several witnesses who confirmed the victim’s account.

On Nov. 6, 2014, officers located Gilliam inside a Kansas City, Mo., apartment. The apartment’s resident and several guests left the building while officers attempted to contact Gilliam. Another apartment also was evacuated. A tactical squad negotiated with Gilliam through a loudspeaker to come out of the residence. After approximately 30 minutes, Gilliam left the residence and was arrested. Officers searched the apartment and found the Glock handgun in the attic.

Gilliam, while incarcerated, directed a female friend to draft an affidavit and falsely claim that she placed the Glock handgun in the attic. Additionally, during some of the other intercepted jail calls Gilliam repeatedly threatened to beat up several women he spoke to.

According to court documents, while incarcerated Gilliam beat another inmate so severely that he had to be hospitalized and placed on a ventilator. On another occasion during his incarceration, Gilliam heated up cleaning chemicals in a microwave and threw the heated chemicals on another inmate, who was admitted to the hospital due to his injuries.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Gilliam has two prior felony convictions for armed criminal action and prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, burglary, attempted robbery and robbery.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

****************

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

Twitter:

@USAO_WDMO

Facebook:

http://www.Facebook.com/USAOMOW

###