NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BETH PHILLIPS

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov../index.html

MARCH 30, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROJECT CEASEFIRE

JURY CONVICTS KC MAN OF ILLEGAL FIREARM

            KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal jury today of illegally possessing a firearm.

            Christopher Scroggins, 30, of Kansas City, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

            Scroggins was arrested on Nov. 26, 2008, following a car stop by Kansas City, Mo., police officers. Officers searched Scroggins’ vehicle and found a Charter Arm .44-caliber revolver hidden in a compartment under the radio area of the dashboard.

            Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearms or ammunition. Scroggins has prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child and trafficking.

            Under federal statutes, Scroggins may be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

            Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City deliberated approximately an hour before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Monday, March 29, 2010.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Ceasefire

            Project Ceasefire, launched in October 1999, is a cooperative initiative by federal and local law enforcement and the Kansas City Crime Commission that targets for federal prosecution persons who unlawfully use or possess firearms.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov../index.html