Columbia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Illegal Firearm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm that he used to threaten another person.

Robert Earl Foster, 50, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Foster was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions for serious drug offenses and violent crimes.

On Feb. 5, 2013, Foster pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Foster admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Mauser 6.35mm semi-automatic pistol.

Foster was arrested by Columbia, Mo., police officers who responded to a report on June 26, 2011, that he had threatened a woman with a gun. While searching for Foster, officers were told that a neighbor saw him running through her back yard. Foster was located but ignored officers’ commands to get on the ground and continued walking. Foster continued to ignore multiple commands to show his hands and get on the ground until an officer took him to the ground by force. The loaded pistol was found directly underneath Foster.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Foster has felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, robbery and assault.

This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.