A Washington man, Mallory Nehemiah Brown, 43, from Auburn, has pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of firearms. This admission comes after law enforcement removed him from an Amtrak train in Libby, Montana. The U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced that Brown faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The plea was made before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto, with sentencing scheduled for May 29 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Brown remains detained as the court considers the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors in determining his sentence.
According to court documents presented by the government, Brown was previously convicted of bank robbery in California in 2004 and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. On January 8, 2024, he boarded an Amtrak train in Seattle with several bags and boxes that were later found to contain firearms and related accessories when the train stopped in Libby on January 9 following complaints from passengers.
Among the items discovered were four firearms identified as a .22LR HV rifle with a serial number; a 12-gauge pump shotgun with an obliterated serial number; a 12-gauge semi-auto shotgun without a visible serial number; and a 9mm semi-auto pistol without a visible serial number. Despite denying ownership of the bags, several Amtrak employees identified Brown as having loaded them onto the train. One box bore a shipping label addressed to "Mallory Brown."
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigative efforts by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Libby Police Department; Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; FBI; and Montana Probation and Parole.
This incident is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities across various levels.