Anaconda man sentenced for illegal firearm possession after admitting to making a bomb

MISSOULA—An Anaconda man who admitted making a bomb was sentenced today to four years in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Maxie Richard Arthur, 43, pleaded guilty in November to possession of an unregistered firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said Arthur possessed a destructive device, a bomb, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. In August 2019, law enforcement arrested Arthur on another offense and in a search of his residence, found firearms and a bomb made by Arthur.

Arthur acknowledged to law enforcement he made the bomb and that he and a friend were going to buy zombie mannequins that bleed to see what the bomb did when it blew up. He also acknowledged, buying, possessing and shooting the firearms and that because he was a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing them.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, and Project Safe Neighborhoods, the USDOJ’s initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 through 2018. Through these initiatives, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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