Matthew J. Soban, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Wisconsin 2019

Matthew J. Soban, 27, of Baraboo, Wisconsin, is headed to federal prison for seven years after being caught with two loaded handguns while fleeing state supervision — a move that slammed the brakes on his latest attempt to vanish into the shadows.

Soban pleaded guilty on March 12, 2019, to being a felon in possession of firearms, a charge that carried serious weight given his criminal history. On July 30, 2018, Baraboo police arrested him on an outstanding warrant. During a search incident to that arrest, officers found a loaded .40 caliber pistol strapped to his waist and a .32 caliber derringer stashed in his backpack.

U.S. District Judge William M. Conley handed down the sentence with sharp words, calling Soban’s life a “whirlwind of drugs and legal trouble.” Despite completing substance abuse treatment in the state system, Soban had repeatedly returned to crime — spending six of the past ten years locked up for violent and drug trafficking felonies.

At the time of his arrest, Soban was not only violating parole but actively evading authorities, attempting to relocate and disappear from supervision. Judge Conley emphasized the danger posed by repeat offenders like Soban wielding firearms, calling the illegal possession of guns by felons a driving force behind violent crime in communities.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Baraboo Police Department, with support from the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted the case, framing it as a clear-cut example of federal and local agencies working in lockstep to remove armed felons from the streets.

This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative to slash gun violence by targeting felons who illegally possess firearms. In Baraboo, as across the country, PSN continues to funnel resources toward dismantling the cycle of reoffending — one conviction at a time.

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