United States of America v. James C. Taylor

Description:

St. Louis, Missouri criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl

A convicted felon from St. Louis County has pleaded guilty to two gun charges and admitted possessing fentanyl.

James C. Taylor, 32, of Velda City, Missouri, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor admitted that on Jan. 16, 2019, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responding to a “shots fired’ call found a stolen .40-caliber HS Produkt XD-40 pistol that Taylor had hidden in a couch, a digital scale and two bags of fentanyl in the room where Taylor had been. Witnesses told officers that Taylor was cheated out of $300 in a drug deal and began demanding money from the cousin of the purported dealer. Taylor received $600 but wanted more and held the cousin captive while he tried to get another person to bring more money, witnesses reported. Taylor is disputing the witnesses’ accounts but acknowledges the U.S. Attorney’s office could prove the kidnapping incident by at least a preponderance of the evidence.

Taylor also admitted that on Nov. 7, 2020, St. Louis police received calls about a man in a gold Buick LeSabre on Enright Avenue pointing an AR-style firearm at people. Officers arrived and found Taylor in the driver’s seat. When told to exit the car and put his hands on the vehicle, Taylor dropped his phone and ran. He was arrested after a short pursuit. Officers saw a black AM-15 pistol with a large-capacity magazine in plain view on the back floor of the LeSabre and found a baggy containing marijuana.

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. As part of the plea, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Taylor’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a prison sentence of 12 years.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.

Outcome:

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. As part of the plea, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Taylor’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a prison sentence of 12 years.

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