Miles City man admits illegal possession of gun

BILLINGS – A Miles City man admitted today he illegally possessed a handgun after having been convicted of a felony, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Braden Charles Losing, 25, pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and to possession of a firearm while being a user of any controlled substance. For each charge, Losing faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set at a later time. Losing was detained.

The prosecution said in court documents that Losing had a prior felony drug conviction in Custer County. On Aug. 24, 2019, Glendive law enforcement officers responded to a report of a man passed out and unresponsive in a truck. Officers found Losing unconscious in the passenger seat and observed drug paraphernalia. Medical responders administered Naloxone and Losing regained consciousness.  Officers executed a search warrant on the truck and found drug paraphernalia along with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun loaded with a magazine.

Losing admitted to officers that on the day of his overdose, he smoked meth and injected fentanyl and could not remember anything after that. Losing did indicate he knew the handgun was in the truck and that it "probably" would contain his DNA and fingerprints. He acknowledged he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing the gun.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla Painter is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Through Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Montana is working to enhance coordination of its federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. In addition, Project Guardian supports information sharing and taking action when individuals are denied a firearm purchase by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for mental health reasons or because they are a prohibited person.