Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Brandon Rankin, 27, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 30 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rankin pleaded guilty to this charge on May 18, 2021.

On February 2, 2021, a Madison police officer made a traffic stop on the vehicle that Rankin was driving. When the officer approached the vehicle, he observed that Rankin had a gun in his hand. Rankin immediately sped away at speeds reaching 80 miles per hour. Rankin’s vehicle went airborne over a speed bump and ultimately crashed into another car, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Rankin then fled the scene of the crash on foot and was taken into custody with the assistance of a police K9. Officers searched his car and found an unloaded 9mm handgun, 4.4 grams of crack cocaine, and a significant amount of cash. Rankin has a prior felony conviction for robbery.

At sentencing, Judge Conley found that Rankin possessed the gun in connection with a drug trafficking offense and that this was a very dangerous course of conduct. Judge Conley remarked that the events in this case could have resulted in the death or serious injury of either Rankin or the occupant of the vehicle that he hit.

The charge against Rankin was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.