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Department of Justice

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

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Tom Larson
, United States Attorney
Contact: Don Ledford

Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Firearm Used in Shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm that was involved in a local shooting.
 
Michael A. Sheehan, 39, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Sheehan was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
 
On Dec. 13, 2016, Sheehan pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sheehan admitted he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol when he was arrested on May 11, 2016. Springfield police officers located Sheehan during their investigation into an incident a few days earlier in which Sheehan shot and injured another person. An officer removed the firearm, which was the same firearm used in the shooting, from Sheehan’s waistband.
 
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Sheehan has two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
 
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Larison. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
 
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