ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp accepted a plea of guilty from Marlin Tobius, Jr., today. Tobius was previously indicted by a grand jury for unlawful possessing firearms, which police uncovered while responding to a domestic-violence incident.
According to the plea agreement, on October 21, 2020, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (“SLMPD”) received a domestic-disturbance call from a woman who reported that her boyfriend had pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her. The officers entered the home as Tobius exited the upstairs bathroom, and he was taken into custody. Officers then searched the bathroom and found a loaded 9mm Glock 17 GEN5 handgun with a large-capacity magazine. Additionally, officers recovered a similar 9mm Glock 17 GEN4 handgun, also loaded with a large-capacity magazine, on top of a dresser near the top of the stairs. Tobius was prohibited from possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. Tobius also admitted to obstructing justice by repeatedly calling the victim and pressuring to recant while he was in jail.
The maximum possible penalty provided by law for this offense is imprisonment of not more than ten years, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both such imprisonment and fine. The Court also may impose a period of supervised release of not more than three years.
This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Bluestone.
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