Department of Justice

MISSOULA — A West Yellowstone man who admitted to illegally possessing ammunition after having been convicted of possessing unregistered improvised bombs was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Charles Gibson Bailey, 36, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to felon in possession of ammunition.

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

The government alleged in court documents that in May 2020, Bailey was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 40 months in prison for conviction of possessing unregistered improvised bombs. In February 2022, the probation office filed a petition to revoke Bailey’s supervised release following two encounters between Bailey and a West Yellowstone Police officer. The court revoked Bailey’s supervised release and sentenced him to three months in custody. During that same time, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated Bailey and executed a search warrant on his residence and vehicle in April 2022. Agents seized 14 .40-caliber bullets from Bailey’s truck. The headstamps on the bullets were obliterated.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy J. Racicot and Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the ATF, the West Yellowstone Police Department, and the Federal Protective Service.

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.