Josiah Lewis, Illegal Firearm, Kansas City MO, 2023

KANSAS CITY, MO – Josiah Ronnell Lewis, 44, of Grandview, Missouri, has admitted to illegally possessing a firearm, adding another layer to a case already steeped in explosive violence. Lewis, known on the streets as “Joey,” pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark this week, facing up to a decade in federal prison.

The case stems from a string of brazen ATM robberies in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2021. Lewis and an accomplice twice attempted to blast open ATMs using homemade explosives. On April 29th, they targeted a Minit Mart convenience store, detonating a device that destroyed the machine but failed to reach the $25,000 inside. Surveillance footage showed the pair, masked and clad in dark clothing, with Lewis sporting distinctive shoes featuring white laces and soles. A getaway car registered to Lewis’s wife was captured on traffic cameras.

The duo struck again on July 4th, this time at Maloney’s Sports Bar and Grill. They shattered a patio door and planted another explosive on the ATM. This blast was even more destructive, damaging the bar’s interior, but again yielded no cash – the machine held roughly $2,440, some of which was destroyed in the blast. Investigators linked the vehicle used in the Minit Mart robbery to this incident, and clothing worn by the suspect matched that from the first burglary. A former parole officer even positively identified Lewis from 7-Eleven surveillance footage taken after the Minit Mart incident.

ATF agents, investigating the failed robberies, discovered the Ruger 9mm semi-automatic firearm at Lewis’s Grandview residence. The gun was hidden under a couch in the upstairs living room. The search also uncovered four additional improvised explosive devices, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, burglary tools, and clothing matching items worn during the robberies. This wasn’t Lewis’s first brush with the law; he boasts a lengthy criminal history, including prior felony convictions for burglary of a motor vehicle, robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and theft.

Lewis is already facing time behind bars. On November 15, 2022, he received a five-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to arson related to the July 4th attack on Maloney’s. This latest guilty plea adds to that, potentially bringing his total sentence up to ten years. The court will consider advisory sentencing guidelines and other factors before determining the final length of his incarceration. A presentence investigation is underway by the United States Probation Office.

The case, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, underscores the ATF’s ongoing efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and disrupt violent crime. While Lewis’s attempts to enrich himself through explosive robbery failed, his actions demonstrate a clear disregard for public safety and the law. The full extent of his punishment will be determined in the coming weeks.

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