Belgrade felon sentenced to two years in prison for illegal possession of firearm

MISSOULA — A Belgrade felon who admitted illegally possessing a firearm for five years and while on state probation was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Mark John Littlefield, 49, pleaded guilty in January to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Littlefield was convicted in December 2011 of felony driving under the influence in Gallatin County District Court. One of the conditions of Littlefield’s sentence was that he could not own or possess firearms. In 2020, Littlefield was explicitly informed he could not possess firearms, and he signed a form affirming his understanding of the prohibition. Littlefield illegally possessed a firearm for five years, beginning with his acquisition of a .357 pistol in 2018. For all the time from 2018 until June 2023, when probation officers found the pistol in his bedroom, Littlefield was on supervision with the Montana Department of Corrections. Once Littlefield became aware officers had located the firearm, he stated, “I’m going federal, I’m going federal.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian C. Lowney and Zeno B. Baucus prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Montana Probation and Parole 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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