New Gloucester Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Handgun (DOJ)

PORTLAND, Maine: A New Gloucester man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Shawn Small, 29, to 93 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Small pleaded guilty on January 16, 2026.

According to court records, officers with the Scarborough Police Department responded to a tip that Small was attempting to sell a pistol to another individual. Officers then located Small at a business in Scarborough. They approached and attempted to detain him but he physically resisted. During the ensuing struggle, officers removed a pack from his person. Inside that pack, officers located a Smith & Wesson pistol with a loaded magazine. Small was a convicted felon at the time and on probation for a state robbery conviction.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, with the assistance of the Scarborough Police Department and State of Maine Division of Adult Community Corrections.

Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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