Department of Justice

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Bradley N. Boswell, 30, of Wood River, Illinois, charging Boswell with stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Steven D. Weinhoeft, announced today. The charges allege that in early February 2019, Boswell stole 135 firearms from Benbow City Sports, which is a licensed federal firearms dealer. The indictment also charged Boswell with possessing the same firearms after being convicted of a felony.

 

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000.

 

Boswell appeared in United States District Court in East St. Louis on April 18, 2019, for his initial appearance and arraignment on the indictment. At the conclusion of his court appearance, Boswell was ordered to remain in the custody of the United States Marshal, pending a detention hearing, which is set for April 23, 2019.

 

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, that charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

 

This prosecution is the result of a collaborative investigation by the Wood River Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives.