Man Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Selling Stolen Weapons And Explosives In Exchange For Drugs And Money

 RENO, Nev. – A man who sold an undercover detective stolen firearms, stolen explosives, and a stolen police officer’s badge, in exchange for methamphetamine and cash, has been sentenced to just over 16 years in federal prison, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

            Michael Alan Doiel, 44, currently in federal custody, but most recently a resident of Stagecoach, Nev., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard D. McKibben on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, to 195 months in prison and five years of supervised release.  Doiel pleaded guilty on Dec. 20, 2012, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of stolen explosives that had been transported in interstate commerce. 

“As this sentence indicates, if you get caught selling stolen explosives and firearms, you face prosecution by the federal government and a very lengthy sentence of imprisonment with no parole,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “We will continue working proactively and aggressively with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, to capture dangerous individuals who are committing this type of crime and in preventing guns and explosives from landing in the hands of criminals or persons with mental health problems.  I would like to thank the Reno Regional Street Enforcement Team and the Northern Nevada Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force for their efforts in keeping our community safe.”

            According to court records, on Dec. 16, 2011, local police officers assigned to the Regional Street Enforcement Team (SET), a collaborative law enforcement unit comprised of officers from the Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Nevada Police Department, received information that Michael Doiel was attempting to sell stolen weapons and explosives material in exchange for methamphetamine and cash.  On that date, an undercover detective contacted Doiel and spoke to him about purchasing weapons and explosives. That afternoon, Doiel met the undercover detective at a Reno location and sold the detective four stolen firearms, including two handguns and two semi-automatic rifles, a package of stolen C4 explosive and a stolen police officer’s badge, in exchange for three ounces of methamphetamine and $1,500.  Doiel was taken into custody immediately after the transaction by other law enforcement officers who were monitoring the scene.          

            Doiel has three prior felony convictions, including possession of a controlled substance, attempted possession of stolen property and grand larceny.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William R. Reed and investigated by the Reno Regional Street Enforcement Team. Additionally, the case was screened through the Northern Nevada Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, a team of federal and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors who meet on a regular basis to discuss arrests involving guns and explosives. Project Safe Neighborhoods, also known as PSN, is a Department of Justice initiative and a nationwide commitment to reduce gun and gang crime in America.