FORT WAYNE – A Fremont man was sentenced in Federal Court on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

Acting United States Attorney Tina Nommay says 40 year old Markus DeGraw was given a sentence of 10 years after he plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also sentenced to two years of supervised release. Court documents say that on August 27, 2019, DeGraw, who was a convicted felon, sent text messages to his estranged wife, who was living in Branch County, Michigan. DeGraw was upset because he believed his wife had taken his firearms. When his wife denied taking the weapons, he sent her multiple text messages where he threatened to shoot and kill her. DeGraw also sent a picture of a handgun.

On the morning of August 28, 2019, DeGraw went to his wife's address in Michigan where he pointed a firearm at her and said he was going to kill her. He left before police arrived. Officers obtained a search warrant for DeGraw's home and found a loaded .40 caliber handgun, with ammunition of various calibers. After his arrest, DeGraw admitted that he had possessed the .40 caliber handgun for a couple of years, obtaining it six months after his release from prison in 2016. He also admitted to sending the threatening text messages to his wife.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fremont Police Department; the Branch County Sheriff's Office; the Indiana State Police and the Michigan State Police.