Joseph Gaye, Possession of Firearm by Prohibited Person, Colorado 2022

Joseph Gaye, 37, of Englewood, Colorado, has been convicted of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a prohibited person in a federal jury trial.

According to evidence presented at trial, on October 19, 2020, Denver Police Officers responded to a call of a shooting in the 100 block of North Cook Street in Denver. The caller, later identified as Joseph Gaye, told officers he had been shot by an individual in a mask. Officers responded to the building and encountered Gaye, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the groin area. Officers conducted a search and did not locate anyone else inside the building and did not observe any other signs of forced entry. Detectives then found a Sig Saur semi-automatic 9mm pistol with no serial number inside the desk that Gaye was found next to. The Sig Saur was found underneath a piece of paper with Gaye’s name on it. The Sig Saur had eleven rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. Detectives also found several boxes of ammunition next to the firearm. The defendant’s injuries were determined to be self-inflicted. The defendant had previously been convicted of a felony, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition.

U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez presided over the three-day trial. The jury returned its guilty verdict on November 9, 2022.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Denver Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Tom Minser and Albert Buchman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19, 2023.

Mandatory facts: Defendant name: Joseph Gaye, Criminal charges: Possession of a firearm or ammunition by a prohibited person, City and state: Englewood, Colorado, Exact date: October 19, 2020, Sentence or outcome: Scheduled sentencing on July 19, 2023, Dollar amounts: None.

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