Kenneth Gilmore III was convicted on conspiracy charges for allegedly possessing stolen firearms and stealing firearms from the premises of a federal firearms licensee. The government sought forfeiture of property it claims was connected to violations of federal statutes prohibiting conspiracy to possess stolen firearms and steal firearms from licensed dealers.
U.S. District Judge Sunshine S. Sykes found that prosecutors had proven the necessary connection between the forfeitable property and the criminal offenses. "The Court finds that the government has established the requisite nexus between the Forfeitable Property and the offenses described in the Indictment," Sykes wrote in the preliminary forfeiture order. The judge authorized the Attorney General to seize the property and conduct discovery to identify and locate additional assets subject to forfeiture.
The forfeiture order follows Gilmore's conviction on Count 1 of the indictment, which charged him with violating multiple federal firearm statutes. The case appears to be part of a larger prosecution, as indicated by the multi-defendant case number, though details about co-defendants were not included in the forfeiture order.
The preliminary order will become final at Gilmore's sentencing and will be incorporated into his judgment. Third parties claiming interests in the forfeited property have 30 days to petition the court for a hearing to adjudicate their claims, after which the United States will gain clear title to the assets if no valid third-party interests are established.