Bradley Eugene Wendt, the former police chief of Adair, Iowa, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison yesterday for charges related to fraud, false statements, and firearms violations.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Wendt, who served as Adair’s police chief since 2018, engaged in a scheme for personal gain. He misused his position to purchase machine guns for the Adair Police Department and then resold them for a personal profit of nearly $80,000.
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The prosecution also revealed Wendt’s use of fraudulent tactics to acquire these firearms. He allegedly made false statements on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) applications, including claiming the machine guns were for official police use. Additionally, evidence showed Wendt used demonstration law letters, intended for lawful firearm displays, to purchase machine guns for his own gun store, BW Outfitters.
A federal jury in Des Moines convicted Wendt in February 2024 on one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the ATF, eight counts of making false statements to the ATF, and one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.
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“Wendt was held accountable for committing a betrayal of the public’s trust by engaging in this machine gun trafficking scheme for personal gain,” stated Gordon N. Mallory, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Division. “This sentence sends a loud message to anyone in public service: if they betray their oath of office and their responsibility to their community, they will be held accountable.”
In addition to the prison sentence, Wendt was ordered to pay a $1,100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund and a $50,000 fine. He will also face a three-year term of supervised release upon completing his prison term.
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