Billings man sentenced to 63 months in prison for possessing unregistered firearm (DOJ)

BILLINGS - A Billings man who possessed an unregistered firearm was sentenced today to 63 months in prison to be followed by 3 of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Derek Joseph Velarde, 37, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

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

The government alleged in court documents that on or about July 1, 2024, law enforcement officers were called to a residence on Florine Drive in Billings, Montana to a report of a man with a firearm who was involved in a domestic dispute. Law enforcement responded and witnesses identified the man as Velarde. Witnesses reported Velarde had left the scene on foot. A few minutes later, police located Velarde a short distance away and detained him. Velarde was in possession of a Savage Arms .22 caliber rifle and had discarded it in some nearby bushes just prior to police detaining him. Police recovered the rifle, and a witness confirmed Velarde was in possession of that firearm during the domestic dispute. An ATF agent later determined the rifle was a firearm with an overall length of 15 inches and a barrel of 7 inches, that it was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and that it was in operating condition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Billings Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.