Fitchburg Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm and Ammunition

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kavant Smith, 25, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Smith pleaded guilty to this charge on December 15, 2025. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On January 27, 2025, Smith was the sole occupant and driver of a vehicle stopped by Fitchburg police. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield 9mm handgun with a partially obliterated serial number under the passenger seat. While Smith denied knowing anything about the gun, a later DNA analysis concluded that Smith's DNA was on swabs taken from the trigger, handle, and slide of the handgun. Smith is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson remarked that Smith's criminal history was an aggravating factor as he had two other gun related offenses. Smith was on state probation for a felon in possession conviction at the time of the federal offense. Smith also has a prior felony conviction that involved him committing a robbery with another suspect who was armed.

The charge against Smith was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is 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).