Jury Convicts KC Man of Drug Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of drug-trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm.

Robert L. White, 46, of Kansas City, was found guilty of all 16 counts contained in a July 19, 2016, federal indictment. White was found guilty of nine counts of distributing crack cocaine, three counts of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On two occasions in 2013, White was arrested in a traffic stop and officers found crack cocaine either on him or in his vehicle. On nine occasions in 2016, White distributed crack cocaine to sources who were cooperating with a law enforcement investigation.

On June 6, 2016, White was arrested after Kansas City police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop. White fled in his vehicle, then abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, but was found and arrested. When officers searched his vehicle they found a clear plastic baggie that contained 22 individually-wrapped baggies of crack cocaine.

Officers executed  a search warrant at White’s residence on the same day and seized $5,000, cocaine, and a loaded Kel Tec 9mm handgun.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. White has three prior felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and prior felony convictions for theft, conspiracy to possess cocaine and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for four hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, April 2, 2018.

Under federal statutes, White is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.