COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – A Nebraska man was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for knowingly possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.

According to court documents, on May 17, 2020, Matthew C. Banfield, age 36, of Omaha, was in possession of a Springfield 45 caliber handgun. Banfield fired the weapon at various stationary targets in a rural location located in Pottawattamie County. Prior to this date, Banfield had been convicted of a felony. During his possession of the firearm, Banfield knew he was a prohibited person based on his prior felony convictions. Banfield pleaded guilty to the gun charge on January 8, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
The Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force investigated the case.