Felon Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Firearm
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Timothy S. Brandkamp, 64, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Brandkamp was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On March 13, 2024, Brandkamp pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brandkamp admitted he was in possession of a Taurus 9mm pistol and approximately 12 rounds of ammunition from Oct. 14 to 20, 2022.
Brandkamp was arrested on Oct. 14, 2022, for violating the conditions of his supervised release in an unrelated federal case. While he was incarcerated, he contacted a relative and asked her to remove items from his residence that a “felon was not supposed to have.” That relative contacted the authorities. U.S. Probation and Parole officers located the loaded firearm under a bedspread in the bedroom of Brandkamp’s residence.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brandkamp has a federal felony conviction for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, for which he was on supervised release at the time of the offense after serving 13 years in federal prison. Brandkamp also has two prior felony convictions for selling methamphetamine, as well as prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine, selling an imitation controlled substance, and assault.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
