KC Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Roderick E. Taylor, 29, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Taylor was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Aug. 30, 2012, Taylor pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Taylor was arrested by Kansas City police officers on Jan. 29, 2012, while driving a stolen vehicle. An officer found a loaded Kel–Tec 9mm semi–automatic handgun, with a live round in the chamber and the safety off, tucked in Taylor’s shoe. The handgun had been stolen from an owner in Independence, Mo.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Taylor has three prior felony convictions for burglary, one prior felony conviction for attempted burglary, and one prior felony conviction for assault on a law enforcement officer.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Y. Tabor. It was investigated by the Kansas City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.