COEUR D’ALENE – George J. Bondurant, 34, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to court documents, Bondurant was found in possession of a Remington 20-gauge shotgun on May 8, 2012. Bondurant is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his 1999 conviction for involuntary manslaughter. The shotgun was found in the back seat of the vehicle he was driving.

The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for December 3, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene.

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF), which is a Federal Bureau of Investigation sponsored Safe Streets Task Force comprised of law enforcement from the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Coeur d'Alene City Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, Bonner County Sheriff's Office, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. The task force also participates with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and coordinates as needed with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Forest Service. 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.