Livingston man sentenced in firearms case

BILLINGS—A Livingston resident who admitted illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced today to five years of probation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Cody Allen Viers, 36, pleaded guilty in October to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

Prosecutors said that on Feb. 13, 2018, law enforcement interviewed an individual about a 9mm semi-automatic pistol he had purchased earlier and had given to another person. Officers also interviewed Viers, who said he had bought the firearm and had provided it to the person law enforcement interviewed in February. Viers also admitted he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a previous conviction for partner or family member assault. A criminal history review found that Viers had two convictions for the crime, a misdemeanor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

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.

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