A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for possessing a stolen firearm.
Donte Hardy, 32, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to nine years and four months in federal prison without parole.
On April 23, 2021, Hardy pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm.
Hardy was arrested on Jan. 23, 2017, following a traffic stop after Kansas City police officers saw him driving a car they believed might be stolen. Hardy initially accelerated, reaching speeds up to 85 miles per hour, but was eventually stopped. Hardy, who was driving with a suspended license, was on state supervision for distributing a controlled substance.
Hardy had $884 in his pocket. When officers searched the vehicle, they found three plastic bags that contained a total of 165 grams of marijuana, a bag that contained cocaine, a bag that contained approximately 60 pills (including methamphetamine), and a loaded Beretta .40-caliber pistol. The pistol had been purchased from a firearms dealer in Pennsylvania in 2013 by another person, and Hardy admitted that he knew it was stolen.
Hardy has two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance, a prior felony conviction for possessing a controlled substance, and a prior felony conviction for illegally possessing a firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
