Springfield Man Sentenced to 80 Months for Firearms Offenses Related to a 2025 Shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing a stolen firearm and making a false statement while attempting to purchase a firearm.

Marquese Gaten, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 80 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years supervised release. Gaten pleaded guilty to a two-count superseding information on Nov. 13, 2025.

Gaten attempted to purchase a firearm on Aug. 10, 2024, from a federal firearm licensee at a gun show at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. On the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Firearm Transaction Form, Gaten falsely claimed he was not prohibited from possessing a firearm as a person who was facing charges for a felony crime. By pleading guilty, Gaten admitted he lied on the ATF Firearm Transaction Form in violation of federal law.

On Jan. 1, 2025, officers with the Springfield Police Department responded to 1919 West Bennett, in reference to a person who had been shot. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the suspect, Gaten, initially fled the scene but later turned himself in. As part of his plea, Gaten admitted to shooting the victim, taking the victim's firearm and cell phone, and throwing both his and the victim's guns and cell phones out the window of his car as he fled the scene. Law enforcement was never able to recover the firearms. Shell casings from the scene of the shooting were submitted to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) database and leads were generated indicating the gun Gaten admitted to possessing and using to kill the victim was also involved in two additional shootings which occurred on April 8, 2024, and Nov. 10, 2024, in Springfield.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

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