GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – Treshawn Kalian Bible, a 23-year-old Kalamazoo man with a penchant for firearms and a history of run-ins with the law, is headed back to federal prison. Bible was sentenced to 125 months – over a decade – after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, a charge significantly enhanced due to its connection to drug trafficking. This isn’t Bible’s first rodeo; it marks his third federal conviction for the same offense in just four years.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten didn’t mince words, stating Bible “treated his federal firearms conviction as a badge of merit,” choosing a life of “guns and drugs” despite repeated chances to change course. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Jonker, is intended to send a clear message, according to the judge: there’s a “serious cost” to this kind of behavior. Jonker specifically noted Bible is “enmeshed in gang culture” and desperately “needs to stop.”
Law enforcement sources identify Bible as a member of the “Belmont Gangsters” operating in Kalamazoo. He even sports a tattoo on his arm – “FedBaby” – an apparent boast about his 2019 federal gun conviction. Just weeks after being released from prison for that previous offense, in late 2021, police connected Bible to multiple shootings in the Kalamazoo area, including one that left a man dead and two others injured. The pattern of violence clearly wasn’t a deterrent.
The latest case stems from a December 2019 traffic stop where officers discovered Bible in possession of a stolen, loaded revolver, along with two digital scales coated in drug residue. A search of his phone revealed text messages detailing drug deals and, damningly, a video showing him illegally handling firearms the day after his release from his previous prison stint. The evidence painted a clear picture of a man determined to remain a player in the criminal underworld.
Captain Rafael Diaz of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety emphasized the collaborative effort that brought Bible to justice, highlighting the commitment of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team and partnerships with federal and state agencies. The investigation was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. Castle and Davin Reust prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime through coordinated law enforcement efforts and community engagement. The DOJ revitalized PSN in 2017, prioritizing the targeting of violent criminals and fostering partnerships to create safer neighborhoods. While the program’s long-term effectiveness remains debated, it provided the framework for bringing Bible to account – and hopefully, disrupting his criminal activity for years to come.
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- Terrell Moore Convicted of Oxycodone Trafficking, Clarksburg WV, 2023 · Virginia
- Dominic Matthew Martinez, Armed Robbery, Price UT, 2013 · Utah
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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