Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Matthew J. Soban, 27, Baraboo, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to seven years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of two handguns.   Soban pleaded guilty to this charge on March 12, 2019.

On July 30, 2018, Baraboo police arrested Soban on an outstanding warrant.  When officers searched him incident to that arrest, they found a loaded .40 caliber pistol in a holster on his waist, and a .32 caliber derringer in his backpack.  Soban has two prior felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

At sentencing, Judge Conley stated that Soban’s life had become a “whirlwind of drugs and legal trouble” despite being through substance abuse treatment in the state system.  Judge Conley also noted that at the time of his arrest, Soban was absconding from state supervision, was attempting to move to a different residence to remain on the run, and had spent six of the past 10 years in prison for violent and drug trafficking felonies. 

The charge against Soban was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Baraboo Police Department, with the cooperation of the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.  The case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime.  The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.