Idaho Falls Man Pleads Guilty To Possessing A Sawed-off Shotgun

POCATELLO – Timothy Scott Murphy, 24, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to possession of an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

In court today, Murphy pleaded guilty to the indictment filed on May 22, 2012, charging him with one count of receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm. According to court records, on February 21, 2012, Idaho Falls Police officers received reports that Murphy was in possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Officers located Murphy at a house in Idaho Falls. Murphy left the house carrying a sawed-off shotgun, but when he saw the officers he retreated back into the house. Other occupants of the house were evacuated. After a four-hour standoff, Murphy surrendered. The sawed-off shotgun was located in a bathroom inside the house. According to the indictment, the barrel length of the Maverick 12-gauge shotgun was approximately 16 inches; the minimum legal length is 18 inches. The government is seeking forfeiture of the firearm.

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

Sentencing is set for June 17, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the Idaho Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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