A former police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison for possessing machine guns, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Ira Brown, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. The sentencing follows Brown’s admission that Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers found a fully automatic AR-15 rifle and an auto sear at his home on October 23, 2020. The auto sear is a device that can convert an AR-15 into a fully automatic weapon. These items were discovered during a court-approved search related to another investigation.
During the search of Brown’s residence in Viburnum, investigators also located approximately 10,000 rounds of belt-fed .223 caliber ammunition, including armor piercing rounds.
At the time of his arrest, Brown was working as a dispatcher at a 911 call center but had previously served as a police officer.
After being released on bond, Brown fled and was later apprehended in Oregon in 2024. He pleaded guilty in July 2025 to possession of a machine gun.
Brown’s son, Zerak Brown, now 24 years old, is currently serving a sentence of over ten years after being convicted in 2021 on charges including two counts of assaulting a federal officer and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to evidence presented at trial, law enforcement officers encountered Zerak Brown when they arrived at Ira Brown’s home to allow Zerak’s girlfriend to collect her belongings. Zerak refused entry to the troopers and struggled with them before asking his brother for a gun and fleeing the scene. He was later seen with a rifle and again ran from authorities before ultimately surrendering.
The investigation involved the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Viburnum Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
