Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Cleveland Man Convicted of Possession of Ammunition as a Felon
Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal jury convicted Brandon Bethune, 37, of Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday, April 7, 2022, of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Bethune was found guilty after a three-day trial before Judge J. Philip Calabrese.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on March 20, 2021, Cleveland Police officers responded to a residence after a call concerning reports of domestic violence. Officers met the caller and were advised of a man inside the residence with a firearm threatening to shoot the caller. After securing the residence, officers located Defendant Bethune inside, and he was subsequently arrested.
During the arrest, CDP officers recovered a firearm in the defendant's waistband that contained a round of ammunition jammed in its chamber. After he was transported to Cuyahoga County Detention Center, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's officers conducted another pat-down of the defendant and discovered the firearm's magazine, which contained four rounds of ammunition.
Bethune is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for felonious assault and attempted felonious assault in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
Bethune is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2, 2022, and faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
This case was investigated by the ATF, Cleveland Division of Police, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam J. Joines and Bryson N. Gillard.