FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 10, 2008
MAURICE RONALD ARCHER SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on July 10, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, MAURICE RONALD ARCHER, a 66-year-old resident of West Yellowstone, appeared for sentencing. ARCHER was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 21 months, concurrent with a state sentence
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
ARCHER was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to being a felon-in-possession of a firearm.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On May 19, 1981, ARCHER was convicted in the State of New York of robbery with a firearm.
On and prior to February 2, 2006, ARCHER was in possession of eleven firearms. His wife stated that ARCHER had directed her to get rid of the firearms for him - and not by turning the firearms over to law enforcement. ARCHER had wanted to her to sell the firearms at National Pawn in Bozeman for him. She also stated that ARCHER had acquired all of the firearms during their marriage by purchasing firearms from individuals and not stores due to his felony conviction. They were married in 1984.
Numerous witnesses from West Yellowstone would have testified that they observed ARCHER in possession of various firearms over the last several years. Further testimony would have included various hunting trips as well as ARCHER driving around West Yellowstone with a pistol in a shoulder holster prior to February 2006.
Another individual would have testified that he sold four different firearms to ARCHER, not knowing that ARCHER was a convicted felon.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that ARCHER will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, ARCHER does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This conviction is yet another important outcome from Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national priority of the United States Department of Justice. PSN is designed as a partnership between federal and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime and gun-related crime through the vigorous enforcement of the criminal provisions of the federal firearms laws. In Montana, the effort under PSN is called "Catch and No Release."
