04/25/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/25/2025 16:59
BILLINGS - A convicted felon from Basin, Wyoming who possessed a firearm illegally was sentenced today to 66 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Juan Ortiz, 48, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on or about August 29, 2023, Billings police were called to a house on Midland Road in Billings, Montana for a weapons complaint. At the house, police learned the Defendant, Juan Ortiz, was in possession of a firearm and had fled on foot. Police searched the area and located Ortiz. Nearby, police located a pistol that Ortiz had discarded. At the time Ortiz possessed the firearm, he had been, and knew he had been, convicted of multiple felony drug offenses in Montana and Wyoming.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case, and 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.
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