James Arthur Reynolds Sentenced In U.S. District Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on July 10, 2013, before Senior District Court Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen, JAMES ARTHUR REYNOLDS, a 55-year-old resident of Roundup, was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 37 months

Special Assessment: $200

Supervised Release: 3 years

REYNOLDS was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to being a felon-in-possession of a firearm.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

REYNOLDS had a felony conviction in 1985 in Virginia and multiple convictions from 1987 forward in Montana, therefore prohibiting him from possessing firearms.

On July 14, 2012, at 4:18 a.m., law enforcement received a report of a man sleeping in the ditch next to a motorcycle on a highway near Billings. Responding officers found REYNOLDS asleep and woke him. REYNOLDS reported that he had been driving home and became sleepy. In running his record, they found that REYNOLDS had a felony warrant for revocation on original charges of burglary and felony theft out of Beaverhead County and arrested him. Found on his person was a handgun magazine loaded with .45 caliber ammunition and a baggie of marijuana. REYNOLDS claimed he found the magazine lying on the ground in Billings, and that he did not have a firearm.

When questioned on July 18, 2012, REYNOLDS claimed that he found the .45 caliber handgun magazine on a table top while at a bar in Billings. He admitted that he was not to be in possession of firearms or ammunition given his felony record, but had friends who own .45 caliber guns and was planning to give it to one of them.

REYNOLDS then admitted that in fact he did own a .45 caliber handgun. REYNOLDS told how he was a "prospect" for the ".45s Motorcycle Club" in Roundup and in order to be a "prospect" and later a "fully-patched member," one had to own a .45 caliber gun. Because REYNOLDS could neither buy nor possess the .45, he had his friend, a "fully patched" member of the .45s Club, purchase the gun for him and he keeps it behind the bar at the "Clubhouse" in Roundup. REYNOLDS reported that his friend had purchased the gun for him approximately a month to six weeks before. REYNOLDS also admitted that he had both handled and shot the firearm, a Hi Point/Haskell Manufacturing, Model JHP, .45 caliber, semi-automatic pistol.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that REYNOLDS will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, REYNOLDS does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.