COEUR D'ALENE – Jeremy Gene Johnson, 30, of Post Falls, Idaho, was sentenced in United States District Court in Coeur d'Alene to 24 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also sentenced Johnson to 3 years of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit the firearm found in his possession. He pled guilty to the charge on July 16, 2012.

According to court documents, Johnson admitted that he illegally possessed a Smith & Wesson 9 millimeter handgun on January 25, 2012. Johnson is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions, twice for grand theft, possession of a controlled substance and escape, in the First Judicial District, Kootenai County, Idaho.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police Department, Security from the Coeur d’Alene Casino, along with assistance from the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF). NIVCTF members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Idaho State Police, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, Bonner County Sheriff's Office, Coeur d'Alene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, and the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police Department. The NIVCTF investigates a myriad of violent crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, felonious assault and drug trafficking.

The case was prosecuted as part of Idaho’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Idaho.