COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Authorities in Iowa report 46-year-old Chad Michael Schaefer, of Omaha, was sentenced December 8, 2021 in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to 57 months in prison for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. His term of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release. According to court documents, Schaefer pleaded guilty to the charge on September 2, 2021.

On October 9, 2020, a police officer reported his vehicle was burglarized and a Smith and Wesson rifle was stolen. A neighbor also reported his vehicle was burglarized and a wallet was taken. A credit card from the stolen wallet was used in the early morning hours shortly after the burglary in Omaha. Detectives obtained surveillance footage from the stores where the stolen credit card was used and were able to identify Schaefer as the suspect.

Schaefer also had messages on his cellular phone linking him to the stolen rifle. At the time of the offense, Schaefer was a
convicted felon and drug user.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and Council Bluffs Police Department investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa