Whiterocks Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition as a Previously Convicted Felon

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A previously convicted felon was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after he possessed a firearm and ammunition as a restricted person.

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ted Stewart, comes after Nathaniel Jonas Accawanna, 38, of Whiterocks, Utah, pleaded guilty on June 3, 2026, to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to court documents and statements made at Accawanna’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on May 30, 2025, law enforcement responded to a “shots fired” report in the Whiterocks area of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. Upon arrival, law enforcement observed Accawanna struggling with and manipulating a firearm with a partially obliterated serial number. Law enforcement ordered him to stop, but Accawanna did not comply and fled. He threw the firearm away from himself and law enforcement pursued Accawanna who was ultimately arrested. Law enforcement recovered a jammed firearm, magazine, and ammunition from the scene. Accawanna has a violent criminal history that includes multiple felony convictions.

United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency.

Assistant United States Attorney Sam Pead of The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.