Lonsdale man sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for gun possession

A Lonsdale man and convicted felon was sentenced Tuesday to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered firearm in 2016, Duane Kees, U.S. Attorney for the Western District, announced Wednesday.

Steven Nelson, 40, alias Steven Varnes, was sentenced to

78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on a felony count of receiving and possessing an unregistered firearm. Nelson was indicted on the charge by a federal grand jury in January

2017 and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hot Springs in September 2017.

According to court records, in November 2016, Glenwood police officers were dispatched to the scene of a two-vehicle wreck and one of the drivers attempted to identify himself using a false name and birth date with an expired ID card.

The officers became suspicious and confronted the man, who was identified as Nelson. Further investigation revealed Nelson’s driver’s license was suspended and he was a convicted felon so he was arrested.

A search of Nelson revealed a live 12-gauge shotgun shell in his pocket and a search of his vehicle revealed 21 12-gauge shotgun shells, and a short-barreled, 12-gauge shotgun. A subsequent search of the National Firearm Registration and Transfer record revealed the shotgun was not registered to Nelson in violation of federal law.

The case was also investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Donat prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that “has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” Kees said in a release.