OKLAHOMA CITY – LAQUAY LEE JEFFERS, 41, has been convicted
by a jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney
Timothy J. Downing.
According to an indictment filed on June 4, 2019, Jeffers
possessed a firearm on April 4, 2019, after having been convicted of a crime
punishable by imprisonment of more than one year. He has been in pre-trial custody of the U.S.
Marshals Service since June 14.
During a trial that began on November 12, a jury heard that
an Oklahoma City police officer attempted to stop Jeffers for a traffic
violation late in the afternoon of April 4.
Jeffers was the only person in the car.
Rather than stopping, he drove through an apartment complex parking lot
in an apparent attempt to flee. After he
was boxed in between two buildings, the officer pulled Jeffers out of his
car. A .380 pistol was on the front
passenger seat.
On November 14, the jury unanimously found Jeffers
guilty. In doing so, it rejected
Jeffers’s defense that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and he was not aware
it was in the car.
At sentencing, Jeffers faces up to ten years in prison,
three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing will take place in approximately
90 days.
This conviction is the result of an investigation by the
Oklahoma City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Oklahoma City Field Office. Prosecuted
by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley L. Altshuler and Travis D. Smith, the case
is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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. As part of this
strategy, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with local
prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Reference is made to public filings for further information.
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