Kentro Taylor, age 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on May 18 to 180 months in federal prison after being convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon. U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana also ordered Taylor to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment and mandated forfeiture of the involved firearm.
According to court records, on September 17, 2021, Taylor was driving alone in a BMW vehicle that was involved in a collision in Baton Rouge. Law enforcement conducted a lawful search and found a Smith and Wesson SD9 with an extended magazine loaded with 21 rounds on the front passenger seat within Taylor’s reach and view. In addition, during an earlier incident on October 7, 2020, Taylor was stopped by an Illinois State Police trooper for a traffic violation on Interstate 57 in Douglas County, Illinois. A lawful search revealed another Smith and Wesson SD9 loaded with ammunition inside a camouflage bag belonging to Taylor.
Taylor pleaded guilty under Rule 20 consent to transfer jurisdiction from Illinois to Louisiana. His sentence will run concurrently with charges imposed in the Middle District of Louisiana. Taylor has prior convictions including two counts of attempted manslaughter from incidents occurring in May and August of 1991; armed robbery in April 1996; and attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon from July 2025.
“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 prosecution credited work by several agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Baton Rouge Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois supports community safety through partnerships with law enforcement agencies across its service area spanning central Illinois counties; it prosecutes federal crimes such as this case while functioning within the Department of Justice framework according to its official website.
