Marvin Coates, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, Wisconsin 2021

A Wisconsin resident has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for illegally possessing ammunition in a volatile situation.

Marvin Coates, 34, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson on November 30, 2021, for illegally possessing ammunition.

The charge against Coates was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, which occurred on June 23, 2019.

According to reports, deputies from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fight and shots fired outside of the American Legion in Westport, Wisconsin, at approximately 1:00 a.m.

Seven Winchester .40 caliber shell casings were found in the parking lot, and a surveillance video from an adjacent business confirmed a fight broke out near the American Legion.

Coates was seen in the video retrieving a pistol from his car, walking towards the people who were fighting, and firing seven shots into the air.

Coates identified himself in the surveillance video and admitted to being a convicted felon during an interview with law enforcement.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson highlighted Coates’s criminal history and the serious nature of his conduct, noting that Coates brought the threat of violence to an already volatile situation.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime.

The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

Defendant: Marvin Coates

Criminal Charges: Illegally Possessing Ammunition

City and State: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Date: November 30, 2021 (sentencing)

Sentence: 51 months in federal prison

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