SPRINGFIELD, MO. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Missouri, Western), published as received.
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.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
