KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a St. Louis, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms.

John H. Lauth, 46, of St. Louis, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010, to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

On April 20, 2010, Lauth pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. Lauth admitted that he was in possession of a Ruger .22-caliber rifle, a Ruger .243-caliber rifle and a Remington 12-gauge shotgun. The firearms were found inside his vehicle when Lauth was arrested on Aug. 31, 2009, in connection with an investigation into a residential burglary near Warrensburg, Mo.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Lauth has prior felony convictions for kidnapping and robbery, three felony convictions for stealing, three felony convictions for burglary, three felony convictions for stealing a motor vehicle, and a felony conviction for tampering with a motor vehicle.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Clark. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Ceasefire
Project Ceasefire, launched in October 1999, is a cooperative initiative by federal and local law enforcement and the Kansas City Crime Commission that targets for federal prosecution persons who unlawfully use or possess firearms.

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