If you are prohibited from possessing firearms because of a felony criminal record, it’s probably a good idea not to appear in a popular YouTube video handling an illegal firearm. That’s a lesson learned this week by three Portland men who have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon.
They are Christopher Eugene Miller, 28; Kebrin Larry Jones, 27; and Desmond Boris Washington, 34. All three are convicted felons, not permitted to possess firearms, and all three have been charged with unlawfully possessing a stolen Taurus PT-845 .45 caliber handgun.
Agents recovered the stolen firearm while executing a search warrant on Washington’s Portland residence. The music video remains publicly available on YouTube and allegedly shows all three defendants handling illegal weapons.
The video was for the song “This Life” by Kansas City, Mo.-based rapper Yung Cat, who later posted about the indictments on Instagram, where he asserted that the guns seen in the video were props — not real firearms.
“These are props,” he said. “I am Artist Rapper/Actor. I got over 10 movies using props. I REPEAT: PROPS. Leave me alone. Thank 🤦♂️🤦♂️”
All three have been arraigned and are awaiting trial. Washington’s is scheduled to begin first, in early March.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
