A Laurel man was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition in his residence.
Nicholas Steven Capella, 39, pleaded guilty in June to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition as charged in an indictment, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Capella was sentenced on today by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters, to be followed by three years of supervised release, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
According to court documents, in August 2022, members of the Billings Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit were surveilling a residence in Laurel when Capella and another person left the house and got into a vehicle that was parked outside. Capella had a pistol holstered on his hip. Officers converged on the vehicle and placed Capella and the other person in custody. A search warrant was executed at the residence, and Capella agreed to open a gun safe, which contained a large cache of firearms, including assault-style rifles with high-capacity magazines. Law enforcement seized approximately 34 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Capella was prohibited from possessing firearms because of felony convictions in Washington.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation, as 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.
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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