Police chief helped California gun dealers in illegal armor-piercing ammunition import plot, prosecutors say

Two California brothers face potential prison sentences of up to five years each for allegedly enlisting a small-town Wisconsin police chief in a scheme to illegally import nearly half a million armor-piercing rounds into the United States.

Federal prosecutors state in online court records that Jacob and Darin Dowd operated a gun dealership in the community of Vacaville.

In June 2021, Jacob Dowd submitted an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeking to import approximately 490,000 armor-piercing rounds from Smart Energeo Sistemi, an arms company based in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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While federal law generally prohibits the importation of such ammunition, it makes an exception for law enforcement agencies.

The Dowds' application falsely claimed the ammunition was for "law enforcement sales," according to prosecutors. It included a purchase order for 1.5 million rounds from James Bushey, who was then the chief of police in the Town of Linn, a community of about 2,700 residents in southeastern Wisconsin.

This substantial purchase order reportedly "piqued investigators' interest," leading the ATF to halt the importation. Prosecutors noted, "TLPD is a small police department. It had no intention to purchase the ... ammunition, had no funds to purchase the ammunition, and had no legitimate use for that ammunition."

Prosecutors allege the Dowd brothers approached Bushey through a Wisconsin resident, identified only as J.W. in court documents, though news outlets have reported this individual was a former roommate of Bushey’s.

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The brothers allegedly offered the chief money for squad cars and other equipment in exchange for his signing a fraudulent purchase order to support their import application. Bushey reportedly agreed, creating the fake order on department letterhead.

Wisconsin Public Radio reported that a search warrant indicated the town board approved the deal after Bushey informed members the Dowds would donate the ammunition to the police department.

However, Bushey did not disclose to the board that he would receive payments for submitting the fraudulent purchase order.

Prosecutors allege the brothers intended to sell the ammunition to "other buyers," though the court documents do not name these alleged buyers nor suggest the ammunition was intended for any sort of attack.

Darin Dowd was charged with conspiracy last July and pleaded guilty in October, awaiting sentencing. Jacob Dowd was charged with conspiracy last week and has agreed to plead guilty during a May 19 hearing, according to an online plea agreement and court schedule. Both men face up to five years in federal prison.

Neither Jacob Dowd’s attorney, Julian Linnen, nor his brother's attorney, Paul Jannuzzo, immediately responded to requests for comment.

Bushey has not been charged in connection with the scheme. The Associated Press was unable to find contact information for him or a potential attorney, and a message left on a possible LinkedIn account went unreturned.

Graham Gunyon, Linn’s interim police chief, stated that Bushey left the department voluntarily.

He was replaced by Jon Albrecht in March 2022, who then departed in March to become chief in nearby Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Gunyon declined to provide Bushey’s contact information or comment on his alleged role in the importation scheme or what he told the town board.

The board’s chairperson and four other members also did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Steve Caballero, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee, declined to comment when asked if Bushey was under investigation. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately reply to a message.