Monday, November 18, 2019

Man Who Attempted to Flee Arrest Convicted of Gun Crime


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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