Probation Check Leads to Guilty Plea After Convicted Felon Found in Possession of a Firearm

PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on March 15, 2024, law enforcement conducted a probation check and interview with Bret Binette, 19, at his Lewiston residence. When law enforcement arrived at the residence, they saw Binette operating a motor vehicle.  A search of that vehicle revealed a 9mm pistol and subsequent investigation established that Binette knowingly possessed that firearm. Binette is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a 2023 conviction in Androscoggin County Superior Court for criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

Binette faces up to 15 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. Any sentence would be followed by up to three years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Lewiston Police Department investigated the case. 

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