POCATELLO – Jose Carlos Acosta, Jr., 30, of Ogden, Utah, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Acosta appeared today before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello. He pled guilty to the charge on May 24, 2010.

According to the plea agreement, on December 14, 2009, Acosta arrived at a residence on the Fort Hall Shoshone Bannock Indian Reservation. He admitted to brandishing and firing a 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol outside the residence. A Bingham County Sheriff's Office deputy recovered the firearm from a hiding place in Acosta's residence. Acosta is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior conviction for attempted theft, a felony, on March 28, 2006, in Utah.

The case was investigated by the Fort Hall Police Department, the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted as part of Idaho’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Idaho.