Augusta Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm

PORTLAND, Maine: An Augusta man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of at least one felony offense. 

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Raymond Lilly, 41, to 6 years in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Lilly pleaded guilty on May 2, 2025.

According to court records, Lilly was encountered by Augusta police officers at an encampment in Mill Park in September 2023. During the interaction, officers observed a bottle of pills within Lilly’s tent, which Lilly admitted he did not have a prescription for. After officers arrested Lilly, they discovered a Smith & Wesson model M&P 15, .22 caliber rifle in his tent. Lilly had previous felony firearms convictions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, which barred him from possessing firearms.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case in conjunction with the Augusta Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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