Source: Office of United States Attorneys
GREAT FALLS – A Boulder man who possessed a firearm while being a prohibited person was sentenced today to 78 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Paul Anthony LaFournaise, 59, was found guilty of prohibited person in possession of a firearm in December 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.
At trial, the government presented evidence that LaFournaise has multiple previous felony convictions, and as a result is prohibited from using, owning, possessing, transferring, or controlling any firearms or ammunition. LaFournaise was aware of this prohibition. On May 11, 2024, a relative of LaFournaise reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that he was threatening family members at their home. LaFournaise was ultimately arrested for partner or family member assault, and his relative then revealed the cause of his agitation: he had returned from work to discover that his bag—which contained a handgun and drug paraphernalia—was missing. A family member had found the bag earlier that day and had hidden it from LaFournaise upon discovering the gun inside of it. The gun was identified as a Kel-Tec 9 mm pistol.
When LaFournaise was interviewed by law enforcement, he admitted he received the gun from a friend and was holding on to it. The friend was interviewed and confirmed giving the gun to LaFournaise because LaFournaise needed it “for protection” when getting drugs.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the ATF, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Probation and Parole 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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