Smith Sentenced
BAYOU SORREL MAN SENTENCED TO MAXIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT FOR POSSESSION OF FIREARMS BY A CONVICTED FELON
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced that JEFFREY SMITH, age 35, of Bayou Sorrel, Louisiana, was sentenced yesterday to a term of imprisonment of 10 years by U.S. District Judge James J. Brady and a term of supervised release of three years following his imprisonment. The 10-year sentence represents the maximum term of imprisonment that SMITH could receive under the statute.
SMITH was sentenced yesterday following his guilty plea to one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon. SMITH pled guilty in April 2012 the morning of trial. During his re-arraignment, SMITH admitted that in September 2009, he and two other Bayou Sorrel residents, Rex Romig and Brad Rineheart, traveled to Baton Rouge. In Baton Rouge, they met with Kurtis Gabler, Sr. who had six firearms for sale. Gabler agreed to sell the firearms to the felons. SMITH, Romig, and Rineheart brought the firearms back to Bayou Sorrel. Prior to SMITH’s possession of firearms, SMITH had been convicted of two counts of simple burglary in 2003.
The firearms had been previously stolen in August 2009 from a Federal Firearms Licensee located in Baton Rouge. All of the firearms were recovered by local, state and federal law enforcement agents in and around Bayou Sorrel during the time period of December 2009 through February 2010.
REX ROMIG, who was charged as a co-defendant in the same case, pled guilty to one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon. ROMIG was sentenced in August 2012 by U.S. District Judge James J. Brady to 63 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release.
KURTIS GABLER, SR., who was charged for his actions in a separate case, pled guilty to one count of possession of stolen firearms. GABLER was sentenced in May 2012 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson to 41 months imprisonment and 2 years supervised release.
BRAD RINEHEART, who was charged for his actions in a separate case, pled guilty to one count of possession of firearms by a convicted felon and one count of possession of stolen firearms. His sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Court James J. Brady on November 29, 2012.
“The Court sent a clear message in these cases that those convicted felons who are caught possessing stolen firearms will receive a substantial sentence,” stated U.S. Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr.
This case was investigated by Special Agents Mary Downie and Joseph Gahn of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, along with Iberville Parish Sherriff’s Office and Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Susan C. Amundson and Frederick A. Menner, Jr.
