GREAT FALLS — A convicted felon from Helena was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 21 months in prison today. 23-year-old Joshua Nzeyimana admitted to illegally possessing a loaded AR-15 rifle found in his vehicle on the state capitol grounds in Helena last December. Nzeyimana pleaded guilty in April to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
The rifle was found during a probation search of the vehicle on Dec. 6, 2023. The rifle had a round in the chamber and was loaded with a 17-round magazine. During an interview, Nzeyimana acknowledged possessing the rifle. He previously shot the rifle, firing a single round in an open field near Elk Park. Nzeyimana knew he could not legally purchase the rifle himself, so he had someone buy it for him. In June 2023, Nzeyimana was convicted and sentenced to a four-year suspended sentence in two state felony cases, one for felony criminal endangerment and one for felony assault with a weapon.
After completing his most recent sentence, Nzeyimana will have three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Probation and Parole and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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[justice.gov].
