Aaron C. Robinson, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Maine 2016

Aaron C. Robinson, 51, of Steuben, Maine, is headed to federal prison after admitting he illegally possessed a firearm, a conviction rooted in a deer hunt gone sideways. On November 16, 2015, the Maine Warden Service (MWS) found Robinson armed with a Savage .308 rifle while hunting deer from a tree stand in Steuben—using bait, a violation of state law. But it was his criminal past that sealed his fate.

Robinson, a convicted felon with a rap sheet stretching over years, had no business near a firearm. His prior Maine state court felony convictions include terrorizing, violating conditions of release, burglary, aggravated criminal mischief, and—crucially—previously possessing a firearm as a felon. That history triggered federal charges, landing him in U.S. District Court under the weight of the law.

On June 22, 2016, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a crime that carries stiff penalties under federal statute. No plea deal could erase the pattern of behavior prosecutors pointed to—a man repeatedly drawn to guns despite being legally barred from touching one.

Today, Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. handed down a sentence of one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The extra day qualifies Robinson for good behavior credit, but it won’t erase the mark of another conviction on his record.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Maine Warden Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), agencies that continue to track illegal firearm activity across rural districts where hunting culture runs deep—and legal lines often blur.

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II emphasized that felons with guns remain a top enforcement priority. “Robinson made a choice,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney F. Todd Lowell, who prosecuted the case. “A choice to break the law with a weapon he was never allowed to hold. Today, he pays for it.”

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