U.S. Department of Justice
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A former chief of the Bel Aire Police Department and a former officer were indicted Tuesday on federal firearms charges.
The indictment alleges they conspired to buy firearms at a discount by claiming the weapons were the property of the police department and would be used for law enforcement purposes, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Former police chief John R. Daily, 62, Haysville, Kan., and Ricky L. Swanson, 39, Wichita, are the third and fourth defendants charged in the case. Both of them are charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.
The indictment alleges Daily, who was chief from May 2006 to December 2013, signed paperwork for the purchase of three Sig Sauer Model 716 Patrol, 7.62 mm rifles, falsely stating that the military style weapons were being purchased for use by the police department and would not be sold. In fact, the rifles were not approved for officers to carry on duty. By misrepresenting the rifles as police department property, the defendants were able to take advantage of special pricing and tax exemptions.
The indictment alleges Swanson, who worked as an officer from November 2006 to December 2013, ignored an interim police chief’s directions to cancel the order. Instead he directed two of the rifles to be delivered to another location so he could take possession. He kept one of the rifles and sold the other one.
Also charged in the case are Nathan A. Mavia, 26, Wichita, Kan., and Robert McCaslin, 41, Wichita, Kan.
If convicted, Daily and Swanson face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett is prosecuting.
They are innocent until proven guilty.
