Press Release
Contact:
MICHAEL L. SCHIPPER
ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY
PHONE: (616) 456-2404
NEW BUFFALO MAN SENTENCED FOR GUN CRIMES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008 - GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Brian John Bass, 30, of New Buffalo, Michigan, has been sentenced to 96 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possessing stolen firearms, U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gross announced today.
Bass pleaded guilty on August 31, 2007, to illegally possessing two stolen 12 gauge shotguns. The case began when the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department received a tip that Bass had been breaking into homes in Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana, and was pawning some of the stolen items including firearms. Authorities were able to confirm that Bass pawned two stolen 12 gauge shotguns. They also determined that he had prior felony convictions, including a 1999 conviction for breaking and entering. As a result, he was indicted on June 6, 2007, by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing the stolen shotguns.
U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff ordered Bass to serve 96 months in prison and to pay a $1,500 fine. Upon release from prison Bass will be on 3 years supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Gross commended the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department for their investigative work in the case. This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a combined federal, state and local law enforcement initiative directed at reducing gun-related crime in Western Michigan. The case was prosecuted on behalf of the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. Schipper.
END
This
web page last updated on:
April 16, 2008