Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Madison Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Illegally Possessing Ammunition
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Robert Coney, 50, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced Friday, August 19, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 15 months in prison for possessing ammunition as a felon. Coney pleaded guilty to this charge on May 12, 2022.
On May 3, 2020, Madison police officers were dispatched to the chaotic scene of a shots fired call at Brittingham Park. According to witnesses, Coney was at the park arguing with other men, then left the park and returned a short time later. Detectives analyzed several videos of the incident and were able to identify Coney as firing a handgun during the incident. A spent shell casing was recovered in the area. And at the time of this offense Coney had prior felony convictions for armed robbery, aggravated battery, and drug trafficking. When Coney was arrested on May 12, 2020, officers found 36 baggies of crack cocaine in his pocket.
At sentencing, Judge Conley found that Coney fired a handgun in a public park and toward others involved in a dispute. Judge Conley also said that Coney’s possession of the cocaine when arrested was an aggravating factor, as was his decision to return to the park with the gun. Judge Conley ordered Coney to complete three years of supervision after release from prison. A charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine was dismissed as a part of the plea agreement.
The charge against Coney was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
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.