ST. LOUIS, MO – St. Louis rapper Arthur Pressley, also known as 30 Deep Grimeyy or Grimeyy, admitted in federal court Tuesday he was illegally carrying a loaded 9mm Beretta. The guilty plea came mid-trial, saving prosecutors the trouble of a full courtroom battle. Pressley, 25, faces up to 10 years in the federal penitentiary.
The bust originated with a routine traffic stop on January 5, 2021. St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers pulled over a beat-up 2008 Pontiac G8 with a broken taillight and, adding to the suspicion, license plates registered to a completely different vehicle – a Jeep. Inside, cops found the Beretta 92FS 9mm pistol wedged between Pressley and another occupant. The weapon hadn’t been reported stolen, but Pressley’s record flagged it as a major problem.
Pressley has two prior convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, automatically disqualifying him from possessing firearms. Federal investigators quickly dug deeper, uncovering a trove of digital evidence. Photos surfaced on Pressley’s and associates’ social media accounts showing him brandishing the gun, and images on his phone even captured a partial view of the weapon’s serial number. More damning, investigators found text messages where Pressley openly discussed the firearm.
The case isn’t just about the gun itself, but the attempted cover-up that followed. Prosecutors intend to argue at sentencing that after the traffic stop, Pressley frantically contacted the original purchaser of the Beretta, attempting to strong-arm the man into falsifying a bill of sale. The goal? To transfer ownership to one of the other individuals in the Pontiac, shielding Pressley from the charge. The scheme, predictably, failed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had been monitoring Pressley and his crew, known as 30 Deep, for over a year prior to the traffic stop. The investigation focused on the gang’s alleged criminal activities, and the gun charge became a key piece of the puzzle. The ATF worked alongside the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to build the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassandra Wiemken and Jennifer Szczucinski are handling the prosecution. Pressley is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1. While a 10-year sentence is possible, the judge will consider the attempted obstruction of justice and Pressley’s prior criminal history when determining the final penalty. This case serves as a stark reminder that even a flash and social media clout can’t protect a felon from the consequences of illegally possessing a firearm.
Related Federal Cases
- Arthur Pressley, Gun Possession with Forged Documents, MO 2024 · Kansas
- Arthur Pressley, Gun Charge, St. Louis MO, 2023 · Illinois
- Mosley Williams, Kidnapping & Gun Possession, St. Louis MO, 2023 · Illinois
- William Bill Harlan Parker IV, Machine Gun Possession, MO 2016 · Illinois
- Shaunee Burkhart, Gun Possession in School, MO 2018 · Colorado
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