Ohio Felon Sentenced to 46 Months for Selling a Firearm to a Convicted Felon (DOJ)

Fort Myers, Florida - Russell Renney (51, Ohio) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Renney pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Renney contacted an informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) offering to sell a firearm. In a controlled meeting organized by ATF, Renney sold the informant a semiautomatic rifle and more than 600 rounds of ammunition in exchange for $1,400. At the time, Renney had multiple prior felony convictions. As a convicted felon, Renney is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. Renney had also been told by the informant that he, the informant, was a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.

This case 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.