Oakdale man sentenced for unlawfully possessing firearms

Max Kerkman, 30, of Oakdale was sentenced to 24 months in prison, with three years of post-release supervision, for being an unlawful user in possession of a firearm.

Kerkman was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard on July 10. The charge carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. There is no parole in the federal system. 

On June 20, 2018, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Kerkman’s residence and found several firearms and a silencer, along with small quantities of methamphetamine and paraphernalia consistent with the use of methamphetamine, according to a press release issued by United States Attorney Joe Kelly.

The case was investigated by the ATF and is part of the Justice Department’s Project Guardian, an initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearm laws.