A 22-year-old Nigerian track and field athlete living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Godson Oghenebrume, has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm as a non-immigrant visa holder in the United States.
He entered the plea before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick, according to a statement issued on December 3, 2025, by United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall and released through the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The guilty plea exposes the athlete to a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Deportation after completion of his sentence also remains a possibility.
On February 7, 2025, Oghenebrume discharged a firearm during a heated altercation with his ex-girlfriend, in the presence of their infant child. The situation escalated after the ex-girlfriend followed him into his apartment, leading to additional shots being fired as the argument continued.
According to the DOJ, the confrontation worsened when Oghenebrume reportedly smashed his ex-girlfriend’s phone and took their child before authorities arrived.
When law enforcement officers reached the scene, Oghenebrume allegedly walked away, failed to comply with commands, and disposed of the firearm—a Glock 43X 9mm pistol—by tossing it into nearby shrubs. Deputies later detained him.
Oghenebrume subsequently confessed to detectives that he fired the weapon in an attempt to scare his ex-girlfriend away.
The central charge stems from the fact that Oghenebrume possessed the firearm while in the United States on an F-1 student visa, which strictly prohibits such possession.
The DOJ described the sequence of events, noting that the argument resumed after the ex-girlfriend entered the apartment and saw Oghenebrume with another woman. The dispute then spilled outside, where Oghenebrume discharged the firearm multiple times as the child’s mother fled.
The investigation involved the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy S. Johnson and Lyman E. Thornton III are prosecuting the case.
The prosecution forms part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide DOJ initiative targeting illegal immigration, dismantling criminal networks, and combating violent crime across the United States.
Oghenebrume, who is the brother of Olympic bronze medallist Ese Brume, was admitted to Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2021. His promising athletic career has since been overshadowed by the legal issues arising from the February 2025 incident.
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