KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing ammunition.

Quinton O. Canton, 50, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Canton was sentenced as an armed career offender due to his prior felony convictions.

On April 27, 2011, Canton pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Canton was arrested on May 7, 2010, after Kansas City police officers pulled over a vehicle in which he was a passenger. When officers searched Canton, they found 17 live rounds of .25-caliber ammunition in his left back pants pocket. Officers also found a loaded Jimenez Arms .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol inside the vehicle.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Canton has two prior felony convictions for burglary, two prior felony convictions for stealing, eight prior felony convictions for driving while revoked, and prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and receiving stolen property.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark. 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.

Return to Top