Grandview Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Grandview, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Frank Vanoy, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Vanoy was sentenced as an armed career offender due to his prior felony convictions.

On Feb. 3, 2018, Vanoy was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Vanoy was in possession of a stolen Glock .45-caliber pistol, loaded and equipped with an extended magazine, on Dec. 4, 2015, when he was arrested for violating his supervised release in an unrelated federal case. Law enforcement officers confronted Vanoy in the front yard of his parents’ residence. Vanoy dropped the firearm and a holster and fled to the front porch, where he immediately surrendered. Officers recovered the firearm and holster, which also contained a spare magazine, in the area where Vanoy had been standing.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Vanoy has a significant criminal history, including prior federal convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and two Virginia state convictions for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and failure to appear in court. According to court documents, every time Vanoy has been on probation or supervised release for a felony case, he has violated his supervision by committing new state and federal felony offenses.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Caine and Ashleigh Ragner. It was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, which consists of the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Johnson County, Kan., Sheriff's Department, and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.