Francis Carlton Crowley, Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Montana 2023

Lolo Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Gun

MISSOULA, Montana - Francis Carlton Crowley, 34, was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a gun and ammunition.

Crowley pleaded guilty in December to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the case.

The prosecution said Crowley had prior felony convictions in Oregon and Washington, making him prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

According to court documents, Crowley's sister bought a shotgun from a Missoula pawn shop in May 2018. On July 7, 2018, Crowley showed up at Lolo Hot Springs, where his sister worked, and began threatening people, claiming he had a gun and crashed his car with his nephew inside.

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies searched the Lolo National Forest for Crowley and the baby. On July 8, 2018, officers located Crowley's campsite and found spent and live shotgun shells and the shotgun his sister had purchased.

The case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/illegal-possession-gun-sends-lolo-man-prison