Jason B. Roberts, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Missouri 2020

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Ash Grove resident Jason B. Roberts, 44, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing 10 firearms, three of which were stolen during his burglary of a neighbor’s house.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Roberts’s residence on April 7, 2020. They found three rifles and a jewelry box that Roberts admitted he stole during the burglary of a neighbor’s house. Officers also found seven other firearms and approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Roberts has two prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, three prior felony convictions for forgery and a prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Roberts pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms on June 17, 2021.

As part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the federal government’s violent crime reduction efforts, 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. PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Roberts was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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