Madison, Wis. (AP) – Two California brothers could face up to five years in prison for allegedly helping a small-town Wisconsin police chief illegally import nearly half a million armor-piercing rounds into the United States.
Jacob and Darin Dowd ran a gun dealership in Vacaville, California, federal prosecutors said in online court records. In June 2021, Jacob Dowd submitted an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire and Explosives to import approximately 490,000 armor-piercing rounds from Bosnia-Herzegovina-based arms company Smart Energy System.
Federal law generally prohibits the importation of such ammunition but makes exceptions for law enforcement agencies. The brothers’ application stated the ammunition was for “law enforcement sale,” according to prosecutors. It included a purchase order for 1.5 million rounds from then-Police Chief James Bussey of the Town of Linn, a community of about 2,700 people in southeastern Wisconsin.
That purchase order apparently piqued the interest of investigators, and ATF eventually stopped the importation. “TLPD is a small police department,” prosecutors wrote. “It … had no intent to purchase ammunition, no funds to purchase ammunition, and no legitimate use for that ammunition.”
Prosecutors alleged that Dowds contacted Bushey using a Wisconsin resident as an intermediary. Court documents identify the man only as JW, but news outlets have reported that the man was one of Bush’s former roommates.
The brothers told the chief that if he signed a fake purchase order supporting his importation application, they would give him money to buy a squad car and other equipment that would help advance his career, prosecutors alleged. Busey agreed, creating a fraudulent order on the department’s letterhead.
A search warrant said the town board signed off on the agreement after Bushey told members Dodds would donate ammunition to the police department, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Busey did not tell the board that he would receive payment for submitting fraudulent purchase orders.
The brothers tried to sell the ammunition to “other buyers,” prosecutors allege in court documents, which did not disclose the names of the alleged buyers but did not suggest the ammunition was to be used in any type of attack.
Darin Dowd was charged with conspiracy last July and pleaded guilty in October. He is yet to be sentenced. Jacob Dowd was charged with the conspiracy last week and has agreed to plead guilty during a May 19 hearing, according to an online plea deal and court schedule. They each face up to five years in federal prison.
Neither Jacob Dowd’s attorney, Julian Linnen, nor his brother’s attorney, Paul Januzzo, immediately responded to emails Monday seeking comment.
Busey has not been charged. The Associated Press could not find a phone listing or other contact information for his or her attorney, if he or she has one. A message left on a possible LinkedIn account for him was not immediately returned.
Lynn Interim Police Chief Graham Gunyon said Busey left the department of his own accord. He was replaced by John Albrecht in March 2022, according to the department’s Facebook page, but Albrecht left in March to become chief in nearby Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
Gunyon declined to provide contact information for Bushey. He declined to comment on the former chief’s alleged role in the import scheme or what Busey told the town board. The board president and four other members did not immediately respond to messages Monday seeking comment.
Steve Caballero, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Milwaukee, declined to comment when asked if Busey was under investigation. An FBI spokesman did not immediately respond to a message.
