Shelby woman sentenced for handgun purchase for juvenile

GREAT FALLS – A Shelby woman convicted of firearms crimes for lying while buying a handgun and then giving it to a juvenile was sentenced on June 4 to six months in prison, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

During a two-day trial in January, a jury found Susan Kaytlin Scott, 52, guilty of false statement during a firearms transaction and of transfer of a handgun to a juvenile, as charged in an indictment.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In evidence presented at trial, the prosecution said Scott bought a Taurus 9mm handgun for a 17-year-old boy on Nov. 21, 2018 at Scheels in Great Falls. In required background paperwork, Scott answered that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm. However, Scott bought the handgun for the boy as an early birthday present. The boy and his friend were present during the purchase, and Scott used the boy’s debit card for the purchase. Following the sale, the boy kept the handgun, and ammunition, at another residence.

A juvenile witness told investigators that the boy kept the handgun in a holster in his bedroom and had a magazine loaded in the pistol but not a round in the chamber. The boy and three friends would take out the handgun, point it at things in the room or at each other. The witness also reported that the boy pointed the handgun at Scott during an argument.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Great Falls Police Department and Toole County Sheriff’s Office.

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.