Previously convicted felon sentenced to over 9 years in prison for illegally possessing firearms

MISSOULA - An Auburn, Washington man who illegally possessed several firearms was sentenced today to 115 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Mallory Nehemiah Brown, 44, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on June 9, 2004, Brown was convicted of bank robbery in the Eastern District of California. Brown was sentenced to 51 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. The conditions of his supervision included that Brown was not allowed to own, possess, or have access to a firearm or ammunition.

On January 8, 2024, Brown boarded an Amtrak train in Seattle, WA, with a black duffel bag and several long boxes. Brown placed his bags and boxes on the luggage rack. The train was bound for Washington D.C., with a stop in Chicago, IL.

On January 9, 2024, the train stopped in Libby, MT, based on a complaint by other passengers about Brown. Law enforcement contacted Brown and removed him from the train. The train conductor located Brown's bag and boxes on the luggage rack. Inside, he discovered four firearms, ammunition, magazines, a suppressor, eight firearms receivers, night vision googles, a tactical vest, and other assorted accessories. Law enforcement took custody of the bags and inventoried their contents.

Brown denied the bags belong to him. However, several Amtrak employees identified Brown as the person who loaded the bags on the train. Further, one of the boxes had a shipping label on it addressed to "Mallory Brown".

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, FBI, Libby Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, and Montana Probation and Parole.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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