Columbia Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Firearms Offense (DOJ)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced today in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Lajuan Marquis Martin, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 96 months' imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Martin pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2025, to possessing a firearm in Columbia, Mo. on Oct. 16, 2025, despite his prior felony convictions.

According to court documents, Martin was arrested by Columbia, Mo. police officers for driving with a suspended license. When he was brought to the Columbia, Mo. Police Department for fingerprinting and processing, Martin was searched. Pills and bags of white powder fell out of his pant legs, and a Taurus, model PT 738, .380 caliber firearm was discovered in Martin's shoe. Martin is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions, including a prior conviction in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Columbia, Missouri Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.