Helena man suspected of possessing stolen firearm appears in court

MISSOULA – A Helena man arrested on a federal warrant by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on suspicion of possessing a stolen firearm appeared in U.S. District Court today on a criminal complaint, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.

The criminal complaint filed in the case accuses Robert Raymond Fasuga, 39, of possession of a stolen firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Fasuga faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Fasuga was detained pending further proceedings.

According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed in support of the complaint, on June 15, 2020, Fasuga engaged the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office in a vehicle pursuit that led to Fasuga’s residence. In attempting to arrest Fasuga, Fasuga threatened suicide with two pistols he had on his person. Deputies talked Fasuga into putting down the firearms and took him into custody. The court documents further allege the investigation determined that one of the firearms recovered from Fasuga was suspected of having been stolen from Mountain Man Trading Post in January 2020.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

PACER case reference. 21-05.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

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