Billings man sentenced to 3 years in prison for unlawfully possessing a handgun

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was found in his parked car unlawfully carrying a firearm was sentenced Wednesday to three years and one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

William Thomas Fischer, 65, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Fischer was asleep in a car in the middle of an empty parking lot when police approached to investigate. Startled awake, Fischer immediately began to talk to the officer, who asked Fischer for identification. As Fischer searched the car for documentation, the officer saw the bottom plate of a Glock magazine and ordered him out of the car. After detaining him, officers searched the car and found a handgun, two BB guns, and assorted ammunition. Fischer is a convicted felon and barred from possessing a firearm.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and ATF conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.