Nicholas Tyler Smith, Firearm Violation, Montana 2023

Nicholas Tyler Smith, a 25-year-old Livingston man, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for violating federal firearm laws. The sentence was handed down on no date provided by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters in Billings.

Smith pleaded guilty in April to making a false statement in a firearms acquisition. The charges stem from an incident on September 1, 2018, when Smith went to a pawn shop in Bozeman and filled out a form to buy a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

At the time, Smith had an open felony case filed against him, which made him prohibited from purchasing the firearm. However, Smith lied on the form by responding, 'No' to the question of whether he was under indictment or information in any court for a felony or for any crime in which he could be imprisoned for more than a year.

The firearm was eventually purchased on September 7, 2018, but the FBI denied the transaction on September 10, 2018. An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives encountered Smith on BLM land south of Livingston on September 11, 2018 and recovered the firearm along with several rounds of ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McCarthy prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the ATF. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime.

Nicholas Tyler Smith was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. The case highlights the importance of adhering to federal firearm laws and the consequences of violating them.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/livingston-man-sentenced-firearm-violation