A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced on Apr. 2 to four years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing a firearm. Craig D. Monks, 48, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips after being found guilty of being a felon in possession of a Beretta PX4 Storm .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement and federal prosecutors to address violent crime and illegal gun possession in the region.
According to court documents, Independence Police Department officers stopped Monks’s vehicle on Oct. 2, 2024 due to expired tags. During the stop, an officer saw a firearm lodged between the driver’s seat and center console and asked Monks if there was a weapon present. Monks replied that there was a firearm “right here.” Officers then secured the weapon for safety reasons and conducted a background check that revealed Monks had a prior felony conviction. In an interview following his arrest, Monks admitted he possessed the gun and said he thought it was a “dumb” rule that felons could not have firearms.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons from knowingly possessing firearms. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford with investigations led by the Independence Police Department and support from the Kearney Police Department.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, described as “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.” The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach programs focused on issues like violent crime and drug trafficking according to its official website.
The office has locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield according to its official website. It is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website, handles federal prosecutions across 66 counties in western Missouri according to its official website, covers jurisdiction stretching from Iowa’s border southward into Arkansas according to its official website, and collaborates with various law enforcement partners at all levels according to its official website.
