Evansville Felon Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

EVANSVILLE – Sergio Rascoe, 36, of Evansville, Indiana, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Rascoe also admitted he violated the terms of his supervised release for his prior federal conviction and was sentenced to an additional 24 months in prison for a total of 70 months.

According to court documents, on December 2, 2020, law enforcement officers obtained information that Rascoe was selling methamphetamine out of his Evansville apartment. Police saw Rascoe walk out his apartment and enter a vehicle, which was later determined to be stolen. Rascoe exited the apartment complex and drove towards Theater Drive. Officers initiated a traffic stop of Rascoe and the stolen vehicle. Rascoe was seen reaching under the driver’s seat of the vehicle during the traffic stop. Rascoe was taken into custody and asked if there were any weapons either on his person or in the vehicle. Rascoe admitted to officers that there was a gun under the driver’s seat and that officers would find his DNA on the gun. The 9mm handgun gun was recovered by police.

In 2016, Rascoe was convicted for an armed robbery in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and sentenced to 70 months in prison and 5 years of supervision after his release. Rascoe was still serving federal supervised release for his 2016 conviction at the time of the December 2020 offense. Rascoe is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law due to these prior felony convictions.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office, and Chief Billy Bolin, of the Evansville Police Department, made the announcement.

The FBI and the Evansville Police Department investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. As part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that Rascoe be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren M. Wheatley who prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.