Mother of Felon and Man Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice and Drug Trafficking

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman and Chesterfield man were sentenced to one year and four months in prison, respectively, for crimes involving obstruction of justice and drug trafficking.

According to court documents, Regina Gasque, 49, and Trammel Lewis, Jr., 23 were involved in a conspiracy to obstruct justice after they crafted a scheme to deceive law enforcement. In April 2018, Richmond Police Officers performed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Keith Gasque, Regina Gasque’s son. Officers discovered two firearms in the vehicle, one of which law enforcement later learned had been illegally purchased for Keith Gasque by Lewis.

While incarcerated, Keith Gasque solicited the help of his mother and Lewis to craft a false story to tell police about Keith Gasque possessing the firearms. Keith Gasque convinced Lewis to tell law enforcement that Lewis had left the firearms in Keith Gasque’s vehicle, and Keith Gasque had no knowledge of the firearms. Law enforcement reviewed recordings of phone calls that Keith Gasque made while in jail, and heard conversations where Keith Gasque told Regina Gasque and Lewis what Lewis should tell law enforcement to support the false story. Gasque agreed to craft and relay similar messages from Keith Gasque to Lewis.

Keith Gasque was previously sentenced to serve more than four and a half years in prison for masterminding the conspiracy.

Regina Gasque also pleaded guilty to, and was sentenced for, aiding and abetting the possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. In May 2018, the Richmond Police Department executed a search warrant at Keith Gasque’s home in search of additional firearms. Keith Gasque shared that home with Regina Gasque and Christopher Wills, a person Regina Gasque had been in a romantic relationship with for approximately 17 years. The officers discovered in a locked bedroom over 250 grams of cocaine, five firearms, ammunition, and other drug paraphernalia. Regina Gasque admitted that only she and Wills had a key to that bedroom. She ultimately admitted that the drugs and firearms belonged to Wills, and also admitted her intimate knowledge of Wills’s drug trafficking over the past several years and that she had handled the firearms and drugs.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-135.