Christopher Weber, 38, is headed to federal prison for seven and a half years after pleading guilty to federal gun and prison-contraband charges. Prosecutors say Weber fired a handgun at another man in Portland’s Old Town on December 4, 2024, then later smuggled drugs into federal custody. The federal plea also wraps up related state gun charges under what authorities described as a global agreement.
Old Town Shooting And Arrest
Portland police arrested Weber after responding to reports of gunfire in Old Town late in 2024. Officers arrived to find a crashed car and multiple firearms at the scene, according to KPTV. Several people were detained and some fled, and Weber was booked on weapons and drug charges. Investigators later tied him to the shooting after reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence collected from the scene.
Evidence, Prison Smuggling And Plea
Officers eventually recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with 10 rounds along with two empty magazines, and court records show methamphetamine was found in Weber’s front pants pocket, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Prosecutors said surveillance cameras captured the shooter discarding the handgun at the base of a pillar.
Months later, when Weber entered federal custody in May 2025, staff recovered a yellow balloon from his feces that tested positive for buprenorphine. He ultimately pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to possessing contraband while incarcerated. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon imposed the jointly recommended sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Bolstad described Weber as a “high‑risk offender who has gotten more violent as he has aged,” according to the reporting.
What The Sentence Means
Federal law bars convicted felons from possessing firearms under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), and separate federal rules prohibit providing or possessing contraband in prison, conduct that can carry significant prison time under federal statutes and guidelines. The Legal Information Institute outlines the felon-in-possession statute and its elements, and federal sentencing guidance treats controlled-substance contraband in prison as an aggravating factor.
In Weber’s case, prosecutors and defense counsel jointly recommended the seven-and-a-half-year sentence that Judge Simon accepted, creating a single resolution that folds the federal case and related state matters into one outcome…