Libby man sentenced for illegal gun possession

Libby resident Joshua David Hoffman was sentenced Friday to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally possessing three firearms, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Hoffman, 43, pleaded guilty in October to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. He also ordered the forfeiture of firearms and ammunition seized in the case.

Prosecutors said on June 9, 2018, law enforcement pulled over Hoffman, who admitted he had firearms in his possession. In a search of his vehicle, law enforcement found a 9 mm pistol, a .22 caliber rifle and a .40 caliber pistol, along with 216 rounds of assorted ammunition. Hoffman, having been previously convicted of a felony, was prohibited from possessing firearms.

According to a 2004 story in the Independent Record, Hoffman received a one-year prison term for his involvement in a drug ring that distributed methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. It is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through the neighborhood program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.