Press Release
Livingston man sentenced for firearm violation
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana
BILLINGS—A Livingston man who admitted he lied on a form when he bought a firearm at a pawn shop was sentenced today to one year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Nicholas Tyler Smith, 25, pleaded guilty in April to making a false statement in a firearms acquisition.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
On Sept. 1, 2018, Smith went to a pawn shop in Bozeman and filled out a form to buy a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. The background check was delayed and the firearm was eventually purchased on Sept. 7, 2018. The FBI denied the transaction on Sept. 10, 2018. Smith was prohibited from buying the gun because he had an open felony case filed against him. Smith also lied on the form by responding, “No,” to the question of whether he was under indictment or information in any court for a felony or for any crime in which he could be imprisoned for more than a year. On Sept. 11, 2018, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives encountered Smith on BLM land south of Livingston. During an interview, Smith provided the agent with the pistol along with several rounds of ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McCarthy prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the ATF.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
XXX
Contact
Clair Johnson Howard
Public Information Officer
406-247-4623
Updated August 28, 2019
Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Component