A Great Falls convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced in federal court Sept. 27 to 16 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Montana Lee Covington, 21, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
Prosecutors alleged that in June 2024, Great Falls Police responded to reports of someone threatening another person with a gun at the Grizzly Inn.
Upon arrival, officers saw Covington in a Jeep in the parking lot and requested the name of the driver and passenger.
The driver identified himself, but Covington, the passenger, gave a false name.
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The officer recognized him from previous interactions and a booking photos.
Asked if there was a gun in the vehicle and the driver showed the officer a rifle on the passenger side that was taken into evidence, with 110 rounds of 0.22 caliber ammunition, according to court documents.
The victim told officers that Covington had threatened to shoot her and that she had seen him sitting in the passenger side of the Jeef loading a magazine with bullets.
The driver told officers that Covington had threatened the victim and was sitting in the Jeep with the rifle.
Covington denied threatening the victim but admitted that he told her had guns in the car, according to court documents.
Great Falls man sentenced in federal court for having weapons as felon
Covington was convicted of theft in state court and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Great Falls Police Department.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in 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.
