Nampa Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Sawed-Off Shotgun

BOISE – A Nampa man was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for possession of an unregistered firearm and the unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on April 27, 2019, police received a call regarding a disoriented male with a vehicle that had broken down in Canyon County. Police responded and located Paul Clements, 58, of Nampa, by a pickup truck with the hood open. Clements was arrested on outstanding warrants and police searched the pickup truck. Under the driver’s seat, police located a sawed-off shotgun. Clements is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony burglary conviction and was on probation at the time of the offense. Additionally, the sawed-off shotgun was not registered to Clements under the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as is required by law.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Clements to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Clements pleaded guilty to the charges on September 13, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Canyon County Sheriff's Office, which led to charges.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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