Former Iowa police chief could go to prison for gun sales: “I’m the police chief, b- –

Text messages and emails from a fired Iowa police chief who was recently convicted of trafficking in automatic weapons suggest that he knowingly abused his position in the police force to acquire machine guns for himself and his for-profit business.

“This job as police chief is awesome,” Bradley Wendt wrote to a colleague in 2019, according to court documents. “Send me machine guns to my own gun shop. LOL.”

In February, a federal jury convicted Wendt, 47, of conspiracy to make false statements to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, eight counts of making such false statements himself and illegal possession of a machine gun.

As of 2017, Wendt served as police chief in Adair while also owning BW Outfitters, a state-licensed firearms dealer with locations in Anita and Denison. Prosecutors allege that between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt used his position as Adair police chief to obtain machine guns for his personal use and profit, acquire weapons for fictitious law enforcement purposes, and then sell them to others through his private business.

Wendt was also accused of selling guns to the Adair Police Department for profit and renting city guns for his personal gain.

In general, the possession and transfer of machine guns manufactured after May 1986 is illegal. However, an exception is made for law enforcement agencies, who can purchase machine guns for their official use. Dealers can also purchase machine guns to demonstrate to a police department for possible purchase.

If a police department wishes to purchase a machine gun or have one demonstrated, it must submit a letter, called a “law letter,” to the ATF expressing its need for and interest in the machine gun.

Between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt wrote nearly 40 such legislative letters calling for the purchase or demonstration of 90 machine guns for the Adair Police Department, which, including Wendt, employed a total of two full-time officers.

In the official letters regarding the purchase of machine guns for his two-man department, Wendt stated that he was buying the machine guns for the official use of his department and assured that he was not purchasing them for resale.

Wendt: “I am building a machine gun arsenal”

During the trial, prosecutors said evidence showed Wendt purchased a motorized M134 Gatling gun – which can fire 50 rounds per second and is typically used on military helicopters – which he mounted on his own armored Humvee.

In his initial efforts to facilitate this sale, Wendt, as police chief, allegedly wrote a letter to himself as owner of BW Outfitters claiming that the Adair Police Department was considering purchasing the weapon because of its ability to provide “barrage fire.”

In another case, prosecutors say, Wendt bought three machine guns for $2,000 each and then sold two of them to a Florida buyer for a total of $50,000. These guns were registered to the Adair Police Department.

Wendt now faces up to five years in prison for conspiracy, five years in prison for each of the eight counts of making false statements and up to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing a machine gun. Sentencing is scheduled for July 1.

Evidence presented at trial also included a series of Facebook text messages Wendt exchanged with others between 2019 and 2022. In some of them, he boasted about owning “a shitload” of machine guns and exploiting a loophole in the law that allowed him to obtain weapons through his position as police chief.

“Machine guns are worth money,” Wendt wrote to Noah Schilling, currently a Shelby County deputy. “Paid $4,000 for MP5SD. Can be sold for $20,000.”

“Wow!” Schilling replied. “How the hell do you do that? Where the hell do you buy that for 4,000?”

“They don’t make it anymore,” Wendt replied. “Bought it through PD. Checked it out. Wasn’t what PD wanted, so I’m leaving it with BW (Outfitters)… Loopholes. Perfect. Legal. The ATF guy told me how to do it.”

“Damn clever! Well played, sir,” replied Schilling.

“I’m building myself an arsenal of machine guns,” Wend told the deputy in a separate conversation. “This job as chief of police is awesome… Send me machine guns to my own gun shop. LOL.”

“That would be so awesome,” Schilling replied. “You have all the cool stuff! … Ha ha ha! Yeah, a boss job would be pretty cool if you had a gun shop that made money. The boss salary isn’t really that great.”

“I just need the title,” Wendt replied.

Schilling said on Tuesday that his assessment of Wendt’s actions was based on the police chief’s claim that he had exploited a loophole in the law and that his actions were therefore legal.

“In my view, it’s a pretty smart move to buy something for $4,000 and then sell it for $20,000 and make $16,000,” Schilling told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. “If it’s not legal, you shouldn’t do it, but he said it was legal, it was a loophole. So that’s a brilliant idea — if it’s legal.”

“My status as boss allows me to sign machine guns”

In a separate conversation with another person, Wendt was asked if he was about to become “rich,” to which he replied, “Oh yes,” and stated that he was about to purchase more automatic weapons.

In April 2019, Wendt wrote to a third person explaining his situation, saying he would stay in the “boring” job of police chief in Adair because of the salary and benefits and his access to machine guns.

“I have two years left on my IPERS program, thought I’d better finish it,” Wendt wrote, referring to the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System. “$25,000 for two 10-hour shifts a week and free dental, medical and vision insurance. I can get bored for that. And boss status allows me to sign machine guns for my range. A win-win.”

In a 2021 conversation with a fourth person, Wendt inquired about the possibility of purchasing machine guns.

“We can get them to do it,” the person replied. “(But) you have to know someone who has power in the police,” referring to law enforcement by that acronym.

“LOL,” Wendt replied. “I’m the police chief, bitch.”

In a series of messages from 2020, Wendt asked others how he could retrofit his Humvee, which had a turret, to accommodate a machine gun. When told that such a task could cost $60,000 to $100,000, Wendt instructed a man to “see if we can get it done. I’m definitely going to need a tax break this year, the way guns are selling.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel in Omaha said in a written statement on the case that Wendt had “grossly abused the position of trust he held in Adair.”

“Brad Wendt used his position as police chief to illegally acquire and sell weapons for his personal profit,” Kowel said. “While so many law enforcement officers across our country work to protect our communities and uphold the law, Brad Wendt did just the opposite.”

State records show the city did not fire Adair Wendt when he was charged in December 2022, but instead placed him on leave. The records show Mayor Joanne Byars and the City Council agreed that if Wendt was acquitted of the charges, he could return to work as a part-time police officer.

His employment ended with his conviction in February. He subsequently received more than $900 in unemployment benefits before the city challenged those payments, citing workplace misconduct.

A judge recently ruled that Wendt was not entitled to the benefits given the nature of his crimes and workplace misconduct. However, because the city did not initially contest the payment, he does not have to pay the money back. However, the city could be billed for the costs.