Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms

United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced that James Edwards Gamble, age 42, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 63 months in prison following his conviction of possessing firearms by a convicted felon.  The Court further sentenced Gamble to 3 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the firearms involved be forfeited.

In a previous hearing before U.S. District Court Judge John deGravelles, Gamble pled guilty to possessing a Jimenez Arms, JA Nine, 9mm pistol, an Armscorp M14 7.62 caliber semiautomatic rifle, and a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun.  Gamble had previously been convicted of possession of cocaine in 1999 and cruelty to juveniles in 2015 in East Baton Rouge Parish.

On July 14, 2018, Baton Rouge City Police responded to a burglary at a cell phone shop on North Foster Drive.  An officer observed two men enter the shop.  As the two men left the shop in a stolen pickup truck, the officer attempted a traffic stop.  The driver fled and, after a short chase, wrecked the truck.  Both men then fled on foot.  A canine officer and his dog quickly apprehended the driver of the pickup truck and Gamble.  The officers found the loaded 9mm pistol, next to Gamble after a short struggle.

Later, Gamble’s residence was searched pursuant to a warrant.  Officers found and recovered two additional firearms. 

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This case highlights our efforts to work with our local law enforcement partners.  As a result of the excellent work of the Baton Rouge Police, we have removed a violent offender from this community.  I commend our prosecutor, and our federal and local partners for their outstanding work in obtaining this conviction and significant sentence.”

“The conviction of James Edwards Gamble reinforces the message that no one is above the law,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran.  “Justice has been served to an individual who has terrorized communities with senseless firearm violence and burglary.  We thank our local and federal partners for their efforts and cooperation throughout this investigation.”

This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Baton Rouge City Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III.