COEUR D'ALENE – Anthony V. Bird, 30, of the Spokane valley, was sentenced in United States District Court in Coeur d'Alene yesterday to 24 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Bird to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term and forfeit the firearm found in his possession. He pled guilty to the charge on June 11, 2012.

At his plea hearing, Bird admitted that on January 12, 2012, he sold a .45 caliber Glock pistol to another person. Bird is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his 1999 conviction for first degree robbery in Spokane, Washington, a felony offense punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the North Idaho Violent Crimes 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.