Source: Office of United States Attorneys
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after officers found a firearm when they investigated him for driving while intoxicated.
Bryan A. Bay, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years in federal prison without parole. Bay’s sentence was ordered to run consecutive to a state sentence for endangering the welfare of a child.
On Feb. 27, 2025, Bay pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On July 7, 2023, Independence, Mo. Police Department officers were dispatched to investigate a report that the occupants of a Chevrolet Silverado were passed out. The officers contacted the occupants and identified Bay as the driver of the vehicle. Bay appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. A computer check of Bay showed that he is a registered sex offender and on supervision through Missouri Probation and Parole for endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree and domestic assault in the second degree. Officers located a Smith and Wesson, Model SD9, semi-automatic pistol. The firearm was loaded with a 12-round magazine with one round in the chamber.
On Oct. 4, 2023, Independence, Mo. Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence for an aggravated assault. The victim reported that Bay, her ex-boyfriend, refused to leave her residence and threatened her. She ran into the street to get away from Bay. Her cousin saw her and got into his vehicle to get away from Bay, and Bay’s ex-girlfriend got into the passenger seat. The victim reported that Bay opened the door where she was seated and pointed his 300 blackout AR-15 in the middle of her forehead. Investigators did not locate Bay and issued a pickup order for Bay.
On Nov. 10, 2023, Kansas City, Mo. Police Department officers conducted a car check on a Kia, which was bearing a license plate that belonged to a Saturn. Officers contacted Bay, who was standing between the Kia and his Chevrolet Silverado. Officers arrested Bay on a parole violation warrant and the stop order previously issued by the Independence, Mo. Police Department.
Officers searched Bay’s Chevrolet Silverado and found approximately 5.49 grams of a crystal substance and 7.67 grams of a powder substance. Both substances tested positive for methamphetamine. Officers also found an Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15, multi-caliber pistol.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Bay has two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance and prior felony convictions for domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. Bay’s conviction for endangering the welfare of a child requires him to register as a sex offender.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).