A Lewiston man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court records show that in January 2025, Lewiston police stopped a vehicle driven by Kulmiye Abukar Idris, 35, for traffic violations. During the stop, officers searched the vehicle and found a handgun. Idris was not allowed to have a firearm due to his previous felony conviction for gross sexual assault.
Idris could face up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing will take place after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigative report. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lewiston Police Department, with support from the Androscoggin County District Attorney’s Office.
"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," according to information about Project Safe Neighborhoods provided by authorities. More details about PSN can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.
