Billings man sentenced to 16 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm

BILLINGS - A Billings man who was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a felony strangulation conviction was sentenced today to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Patrick Hunter Shaver, 34, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Shaver, a convicted felon prohibited from owning a firearm, was found at work with a handgun in his vehicle.

Shaver was convicted in March 2025 in Yellowstone County of felony strangulation of a partner or family member. As part of his conviction, he's prohibited from possessing a firearm. On July 31, 2025, Billings police received a tip that a man named Pat Shaver had a gun. Police followed up the next day, contacting Shaver at work and asking him about the firearm. He acknowledged to the officers that he had a .32 caliber Beretta Tomcat in his vehicle along with seven rounds of ammunition.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.