A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm.
Malik Rashod Miller, 25, of Jefferson City, was sentenced by U.S District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Miller was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Oct. 11, 2022, Miller pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Miller admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Charter Arms .38-special revolver on Oct. 20, 2021.
Miller was arrested when Jefferson City police officers contacted a vehicle that was parked in a local park shortly after midnight on Oct. 20, 2021, although the park was closed. Miller was a passenger in the vehicle. When Miller got out of the vehicle so that officers could search it, he left a black satchel that was later searched. Inside the satchel, officers found approximately 10.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine, as well as additional small rocks of suspected crack cocaine. Miller also had a golf-ball-sized lump of suspected methamphetamine in his pocket.
Officers searched the vehicle and found the revolver underneath the passenger’s seat where Miller had been sitting. The in-car video for the patrol car in which Miller was seated during the search began recording as Miller was being placed in the patrol car. The video depicts Miller leaning forward with interest and mumbling, “Don’t find the gun; please don’t find the gun,” and shortly afterward, “They found the gun.” He later shouted from the patrol car that he is “going away for a long time.”
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Miller has two prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon and a prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance. For each of these state convictions, Miller received a suspended execution of sentence. Miller was on state supervision at the time of this offense.
According to court documents, Miller has a history of violent criminal behavior, including threats, stalking, and assaultive conduct. Almost all of his prior convictions involved a firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department.
