Billings felon sentenced to prison for illegal gun possession | Billings News

Press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana

BILLINGS – A Billings man was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, followed by three years of probation, after admitting to possession of a firearm following a felony conviction, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, 31-year-old Francisco Jose Nava, pleaded guilty in March to prohibiting a person from possessing a firearm.

The case was presided over by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters.

The government alleged in court documents that on August 21, 2023, there was a warrant for Nava's arrest and police observed him in a pickup truck in Billings. Officers attempted to pull Nava over, but he fled. Police stopped Nava's truck by maneuvering and saw him reaching around inside the truck. Inside the truck, officers found a .40-caliber handgun on the passenger seat. Nava had .40-caliber ammunition on him. Nava was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions and was on probation for a felony at the time.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Montana Probation and Parole conducted the investigation.

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