Billings woman sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for stealing handgun (DOJ)

BILLINGS - A Billings woman who stole a handgun from an unlocked pickup truck was sentenced Friday to three years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cassie Marie Carlos, 38, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm and possessing a stolen firearm.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Carlos stole a handgun while on probation for a Yellowstone County felony drug charge. Billings police took a call from Carlos's mother, who told officers her daughter had given her a stolen firearm. She also let them know Carlos was on parole.

Earlier in the week, a man had called BPD to report that overnight someone had stolen a gun from his unlocked pickup. The weapon, a Smith & Wesson M&P 10MM pistol, was the same make and model as the handgun Carlos gave her mom. Investigators learned Carlos had been "car hopping" that night and stole a firearm, wallet, and cash. Her fingerprint was found on the gun case and on the pistol's magazine. Along with Carlos's state drug charge, she also had been convicted of felony drug possession in Idaho in 2024.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the ATF conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities

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Updated September 28, 2026