Indictment: Gun Deal in Parking Lot Went Badly for Felon

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was indicted Thursday on federal charges of assaulting an undercover officer after she paid him $400 for a handgun, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Nicholas Newman, 19, Kansas City, Kan., was charged with one count of robbery, one count of assaulting a federal officer, one count of brandishing a firearm in a crime of violence and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

An affidavit filed in the case alleges that on Feb. 6, 2020, Newman met the undercover officer in the parking lot of a Sunfresh grocery store at 241 S. 18th Street in Kansas City, Kan. The agent gave Newman $400 and he gave her a .45 caliber Ruger Model P234 pistol. She asked if the gun came with a clip and he said it did. Then Newman reached for the firearm and tried to pull it away from her. During the struggle, the agent shouted for help and a second agent grabbed Newman from behind.

If convicted, Newman could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of felon in possession of a firearm, up to 25 years on the robbery count, up to 20 years on the assault count and not less than five years on the charge of brandishing a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania is prosecuting. This case is being prosecuted under Project Guardian, a Justice Department initiative focused to reducing gun violence.