Billings Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Taking Guns from Sidney Store

BILLINGS – A federal judge sentenced William Jess Foust, 50, of Billings, Montana, to nine years in prison today for being a felon in possession of firearms.  Federal District Court Judge Susan P. Watters also sentenced Foust to three years of supervised release.  The sentence follows Foust’s March 26, 2015, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of firearms.

Assistant United States Attorney Paulette Stewart stated in court documents that on   August 30, 2014, a store in Sidney, Montana, was burglarized and 13 firearms were taken, including several pistols, rifles and shotguns.  The store is a licensed firearms dealer and the firearms taken were part of the store’s inventory.  The investigation revealed that Foust had taken and possessed the firearms and that he had been convicted of a felony crime in California, which prohibited him from possessing firearms. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sidney Police Department. Foust will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being released from federal prison.