Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
BILLINGS – A Billings man accused of illegally possessing a firearm admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Damian Andrew Roman, 26, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Roman faces 15 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. U.S. District Court Judge Susan P. Watters will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at a later time. Roman was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Damien Andrew Roman was convicted in 2021 of two felony offenses in the United States District Court for the District of Montana. These convictions prohibit his possession of firearms or ammunition.
On December 18, 2024, Damian Roman was driving a car that got into a crash in Billings. Before law enforcement arrived at the crash, an eyewitness saw Roman throw a bag over a nearby fence. Responding officers walked along the fence line and found a brown Louis Vuitton bag. Inside the bag was a Glock, Model 48, 9mm caliber pistol loaded with an extended magazine with eighteen (18) rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition.
ATF subsequently ran a check on the firearm and determined it was originally purchased by Roman’s family member. Law enforcement conducted a fingerprint analysis of the firearm and located a partial print on the magazine that was inserted into the firearm. The print was positively identified as belonging to Roman.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The ATF and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
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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