Hays man sentenced to 4 years in prison on gun charges

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

BILLINGS – A Hays man who possessed illegal firearms was sentenced today to 48 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Wylon Alfred Plainfeather, 54, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of possession of an unregistered silencer.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on December 27, 2022, law enforcement officers responded to a Billings residence to search for a probationer. The probationer was not present, but officers searched the house and found three firearms in the basement.

As law enforcement was preparing to leave the residence following the search, Plainfeather pulled into the driveway. He admitted owning all three guns and acknowledged one was a sawed-off shotgun and another, a .22 caliber rifle, had a tube on it. Plainfeather said he fired the gun with the tube and claimed it was not very effective at making it quieter. He said he got all the firearms from the reservation and that he traded for them. Law enforcement officers confirmed the firearms were in operable condition but not registered to Plainfeather (or anyone else) in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and Montana Probation and Parole.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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