Portland Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced on November 5, 2025, in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Keon Gaston, 36, to 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court records, in March 2025, officers from the Portland Police Department were dispatched following a report of a suspect breaking a vehicle window with a rock. Officers located the suspect and identified him as Gaston. When asked about the broken window, he replied, “What about it?” and told officers the vehicle had tried to “strike him.” After determining there was an active warrant for a failure to appear, officers searched Gaston and located a Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 9mm pistol, which had been reported stolen in August 2024. Gaston was precluded from possessing firearms due to previous convictions, including for drug trafficking and robbery.

ATF investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

Editor’s Note:
This matter occurred on the date indicated, but the press release was not published at that time due to the federal government shutdown. The release was posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

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