Two California brothers face potential prison sentences of up to five years each for allegedly enlisting a small-town Wisconsin police chief in a scheme to illegally import nearly half a million armour-piercing rounds into the United States.
Federal prosecutors say Jacob and Darin Dowd, who operated a gun dealership in Vacaville, California, attempted to import approximately 490,000 armour-piercing rounds from a Bosnian arms company. Federal law generally prohibits such imports but makes an exception for law enforcement agencies.
The brothers’ application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) falsely claimed the ammunition was for “law enforcement sales”. It included a purchase order for 1.5 million rounds from James Bushey, then police chief in the Town of Linn, Wisconsin. The town board approved the deal after Bushey told them the ammunition would be donated, but he did not disclose he would receive payments for the fraudulent order.
Prosecutors said the small police department had no intention of buying the ammunition and no legitimate use for it. They allege the brothers intended to sell the rounds to other buyers, though no details of any planned attack have been suggested.
Darin Dowd was charged with conspiracy last July and pleaded guilty in October. Jacob Dowd was charged last week and has agreed to plead guilty at a hearing in May. Both face up to five years in prison. Bushey has not been charged.
