BILLINGS-A Billings man who admitted to illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced today to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Kenneth Clarence Altman, 26, pleaded guilty in March to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
Billings Police officers arrested Altman after responding to a suspicious activity call on Sept. 15, 2018, the prosecution said. Officers learned there was a warrant for Altman and asked if he had any weapons. Altman replied he had a gun, a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, in his pants pocket. Altman was convicted in 2015 of a crime punishable by more than a year and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Tatarka 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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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
