Columbus repeat felon pleads guilty to firearms crime on same day jury trial was to commence

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus repeat felon whose jury trial was scheduled to begin on Monday pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to a firearms crime. 

Antonio Triplett, 47, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Triplett, who is also known as “Trip,” has at least six prior convictions that prohibit him from possessing a firearm, including robbery and domestic violence. 

According to court documents, on July 12, 2025, Columbus police officers were dispatched to Stevens Avenue in response to a 911 call about an armed man threatening a woman. Triplett was present at the property despite requests that he leave.

Officers discovered a pistol under an inflatable mattress in the residence’s living room. Triplett told officers he had been staying at the home and spending most of his time in the living room. He also told officers that if his DNA was on the firearm, it was because he picked it up while cleaning the house. Lab results issued on Dec. 31, 2025, showed Triplett’s DNA on the firearm in at least three areas.  

The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2026.

Triplett faces up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jorge Rosendo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the guilty plea entered on July 6 before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

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