Wilton Man Sentenced to Prison for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Stolen Firearm Charges

DAVENPORT, IA – On January 29, 2016, Brandon Lysle VanBlarcom, 29, of Wilton, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 72 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. VanBlarcom was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $200 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

VanBlarcom pleaded guilty to the offenses on October 5, 2015. According to the plea agreement, on February 17, 2015, law enforcement was notified of a burglary in Morrison, Illinois, involving stolen firearms. On March 30, 2015, police officers searched VanBlarcom’s residence and found a Yugoslavian SKS 7.62 x 39 caliber rifle hidden in a crawl space. This gun was verified as having been stolen in the Morrison burglary. VanBlarcom has a prior 2005 felony conviction for burglary in the second degree.

This matter was investigated by the Muscatine Police Department, Muscatine County Sheriff’s Department, Muscatine Drug Task Force, Wilton Police Department, Cedar County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative.