BATON ROUGE MAN SENTENCED TO 180 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ILLEGAL GUN POSSESSION

Kentro Taylor, age 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison following his conviction of felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick further sentenced Taylor to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered the firearm involved be forfeited.

On September 17, 2021, Taylor was the driver and sole occupant of a BMW vehicle that was involved in a collision in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During a lawful search of the BMW following the collision, a Smith and Wesson SD9 was found on top of the front passenger seat within the reach and eyesight of Taylor. The firearm was equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition.

Pursuant to Rule 20 consent to transfer jurisdiction, Taylor pled guilty in the Middle District of Louisiana. According to admissions made during his plea, on October 7, 2020, Taylor was the driver of a Dodge Dart, that was lawfully stopped for a traffic violation by an Illinois State Police trooper on Interstate 57 in Douglas County, Illinois. During a lawful search of the Dart, the trooper located a Smith and Wesson SD9 inside a camouflage bag. The firearm, which was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, and other contents of the camouflage bag belonged to Taylor. For this conduct, Taylor was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison. This sentence was ordered to run concurrently with the sentence imposed for the charges in the Middle District of Louisiana.

Taylor was previously convicted in the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, of two counts of attempted manslaughter in February 1992 - committed in May 1991 and August 1991, and armed robbery in April 1996. In July 2025, he was convicted in the 8th Judicial District Court for Clark County, Nevada, for attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon.

"Felons and firearms are a dangerous combination," said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois Gregory M. Gilmore. "Prosecuting armed career criminals like the defendant for the unlawful possession of firearms is a critical part of our office's commitment to public safety."

"In our effort to disrupt violent gun crime in our community, ATF will continue to focus efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess firearms," said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. "The sentence imposed today sends a message that ATF will continue to work alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure these repeat violent offenders are removed from our communities and held fully accountable so we can keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF."

"The defendant's extensive violent criminal history and repeated unlawful possession of firearms demonstrate a continued disregard for the law and public safety," stated ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon. "The lengthy sentence imposed in this case underscores the threat posed by armed career criminals. ATF does not stop at the state lines, and we remain committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to hold repeat violent offenders accountable."

U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the Illinois State Police, and the Baton Rouge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli J. Abad (MDLA) and William Lynch (CDIL) led the prosecutions.