Martez D. Lindsey, Federal Gun Charge, Missouri 2024

ST. LOUIS— A man who admitted tampering with a witness with information about a fatal hit-and-run in St. Louis pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal gun charge.

Martez D. Lindsey, 31, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lindsey admitted as part of his plea that while investigating a fatal hit-and-run, detectives performed a court-approved search of Lindsey’s apartment on April 25, 2023. In Lindsey’s bedroom, they found a stolen Taurus G3 pistol, .53 grams of cocaine base, .33 grams of methamphetamine, 1.14 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and $1,370 in cash. Lindsey admitted knowing that, as someone convicted of multiple felonies, he was barred from possessing a firearm.

In an attempt to avoid detention in jail after his arrest on the federal charge, Lindsey contacted a key witness in the hit-and-run investigation and pressured her to recant her original report to police. He wanted her to claim she was tricked or made up a story because she was mad at him, the plea agreement says. Lindsey believed her statement was the “only proof they got,” the plea says. The witness was an ex-girlfriend and Lindsey previously had thrown a brick through the rear window of a vehicle she owned and tossed in a firework that destroyed the front window, the plea says.

Lindsey is scheduled to be sentenced March 13, 2024. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

Lindsey is a 31-year-old resident of St. Louis County, Missouri. The crime occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, and the sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2024. Lindsey faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Martez Lindsey’s crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a significant penalty. He will be sentenced on March 13, 2024, and faces a potential prison term of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

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