BANGOR, Maine: A Howland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records, in September 2025, several individuals reported seeing Ralph Nason, 65, in possession of a firearm. Based on this information, investigators executed a search warrant at Nason’s home in Howland.
During the warrant’s execution, investigators located a black semi-automatic handgun under a sweatshirt on the dining room table and ammunition. Nason is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of prior felony convictions, including a federal conviction in Massachusetts.Nason faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges.
As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to making our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.###