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Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Missouri

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Teresa A. Moore
, United States Attorney

Chillicothe Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Stolen Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Chillicothe, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearms he stole from a local business.

Marcus R. Brown, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, Dec. 19, to nine years and four months in federal prison without parole.

On March 11, 2022, Brown pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brown admitted that he broke into Medicine Creek Trading Company, a firearm dealer in Chillicothe, and stole six firearms on April 22, 2020. Brown stole a Ruger 9mm pistol, a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, a Beretta 9mm pistol, a Ruger .45-caliber pistol, and a Block .40-caliber pistol.

Brown was arrested in an unrelated case on April 29, 2020. Investigators found evidence that linked Brown to the business burglary.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, and burglary. He was on probation at the time of this federal offense.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Chillicothe, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Kansas City Field Division