FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
June 5, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALTIMORE COCAINE DEALER EXILED TO OVER 11 YEARS FOR ILLEGALLY POSSESSING A WEAPON AND AMMUNITION
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Jake Antonio Keels, age 41, of Baltimore today to 140 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition after being previously convicted of a felony crime, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to the guilty plea , on February 20, 2007, detectives from the Baltimore City Police Department executed a search warrant at Keels’ residence and recovered a .380 caliber Davis Industries Model P380 semiautomatic pistol, loaded with six rounds of .380 caliber ammunition in the living room used by Keels as a makeshift bedroom . Additionally, two boxes of .380 caliber ammunition were found in the basement; one of those boxes matched the .380 caliber ammunition that was loaded in the firearm and numerous, small vials containing cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as other drug paraphernalia, were seized from the house. Keels acknowledged that the guns and the drugs in the living room belonged to him, but denied that he owned the ammunition found in the basement.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Baltimore City State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy, the Baltimore City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Mythili Raman, who prosecuted the case.