Arthur Pressley, Gun Charge, St. Louis MO, 2023

ST. LOUIS, MO – A local rapper with ties to a known street gang is headed to federal prison after a brazen attempt to dodge a gun charge backfired. Arthur Pressley, a.k.a. 30 Deep Grimeyy or Grimeyy, 25, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

The bust originated with a routine traffic stop on January 5, 2021. St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers pulled over the Pontiac G8 Pressley was driving after noticing a broken taillight – and discovering the plates belonged to a Jeep, not the car. The search of the vehicle quickly escalated when officers found a Beretta 92FS 9mm pistol sitting next to Pressley. He already had two prior convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, making him legally barred from owning any firearms.

But Pressley didn’t go down without a fight. Following the traffic stop, investigators learned he immediately began pressuring the original purchaser of the gun to create a false bill of sale, transferring ownership to another occupant of the vehicle. He even presented a second falsified bill of sale during the first day of his trial, a desperate attempt to muddy the waters. The scheme failed, and he ultimately copped a plea rather than face the full weight of the evidence.

Prosecutors presented evidence showing Pressley possessed the weapon on multiple occasions between the day after it was purchased, October 4, 2021, and the date of the traffic stop. Digital breadcrumbs further cemented the case: photos of Pressley with the gun were found on his and associates’ social media accounts, and in the phone recovered from the scene. Crucially, images clearly showed the gun’s serial number, and text messages discussed the firearm.

Federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had been investigating Pressley and his crew, 30 Deep, for over a year before the traffic stop. The case highlights the ATF’s ongoing commitment to disrupting criminal gangs and keeping guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. “ATF has no more important mission than working with our law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals,” said Frederic Winston, Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Field Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassandra Wiemken and Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case, built on the investigation conducted jointly by the ATF and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Pressley’s attempt to game the system failed, landing him a lengthy federal sentence and a clear message: in St. Louis, and across the country, illegally possessing a firearm carries severe consequences.

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