SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., business owner was sentenced in federal court today for possessing stolen firearms and structuring financial transactions in order to evade federal reporting requirements.

Daniel Rook, 55, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr to two years in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. The court also ordered Rook to forfeit to the government a sum of money equal to $210,195, including a Lexus LS460L, $80,904 that was seized from two bank accounts, and $91,590 in cash that was seized from his home.

Rook owned Rook’s Auto Service in Springfield. On April 16, 2010, Rook pleaded guilty to one count of possessing stolen firearms and to nine counts of structuring financial transactions.

Rook admitted that he was in possession of two stolen shotguns and four stolen rifles on April 11, 2008. In the course of the investigation into stolen property, law enforcement agents also reviewed Rook’s bank records and discovered a series of bank deposits, most in the amount of $9,000. Under federal law, transactions of $10,000 or more must be reported to the IRS. Rook admitted that he deliberately structured financial transactions totaling $210,195 between July 11, 2005, to Nov. 30, 2007, in order to evade those federal reporting requirements.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

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