District of Kansas

www.justice.gov/usao/ks

For Immediate Release

January 18, 2012

Barry Grissom, United States Attorney

Contact: Jim Cross, Public Affairs
(316) 269-6481
jim.cross@usdoj.gov

Kansas City Man Sentenced to 164 Years In String of Armed Robberies

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced to 164 years for a string of armed robberies, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Abasi S. Baker, 32, Kansas City, Mo, was convicted in a jury trial in September on 21 counts including seven counts of robbery, seven counts of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction and seven counts of brandishing a firearm during a robbery.

This should send a clear message to convicted felons with guns, said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. Gun crimes mean hard time.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence Baker committed seven robberies including:

Co-defendant Mark R. Davis is set for a jury trial March 5.

Grissom commended the following agencies and individuals for their work on the case: The FBI and the FBI Violent Crimes/Fugitive Task Force; the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office; the U.S. Attorney, Western District of Missouri; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department; the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department; he Overland Park Police Department; the Olathe Police Department; the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office; the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department; the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department; the Mission, Kan., Police Department; and assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead, who prosecuted the case.

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