Madison Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Donald Smith, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on April 24, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to one year and one day in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Smith pleaded guilty to this charge on February 13, 2026.

On July 2, 2025, law enforcement searched Smith's residence and found a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun. Officers also saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in a cell phone and a spent projectile under the counter. The Wisconsin State Crime lab determined that Smith's DNA was present on the firearm. Smith is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction for first degree reckless use of a dangerous weapon.

At sentencing, Judge Conley remarked on the serious nature of Smith's prior felony conviction, and the potentially devastating consequences of him possessing firearms. Judge Conley noted that Smith has overcome a lot in his life and encouraged him to pursue counseling to deal with unresolved issues.

The charge against Smith was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff's Office and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force comprised of federal agents from ATF as well as state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).