Press Release
Dayton man sentenced to 70 months in prison for possessing firearm after felony conviction
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio
DAYTON – Rasu Taylor, 45, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Clark County Sheriff Deborah K. Burchett announced the sentence handed down on September 30 by U.S. District Judge Thomas M Rose.
According to court documents, in September 2018, while Taylor was on parole, a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop of Taylor’s vehicle in the parking lot of a Motel 6 in Springfield. Upon approaching the vehicle, the deputy noticed an open container of alcohol in the console and Taylor attempting to hide a firearm.
A search of the vehicle revealed a pistol with a full magazine, marijuana, scales and nearly $2,000 in cash.
A subsequent search of the motel room Taylor had been living in for 19 days revealed marijuana, fentanyl, body armor, a Glock pistol with two magazines and more than $2,600 in cash.
Taylor had been previously convicted of felonies, including possession of drugs in Montgomery County and felonious assault in Clark County.
Taylor pleaded guilty on September 9 to illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the ATF and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith, who is representing the United States in this case.
###
Contact
Updated October 4, 2019
Topics
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Component