A Gunnison man was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison, plus three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition (Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender, or POWPO).
In June 2023, Scott Oldenburg, 36, was identified as a possible burglary suspect in Mount Crested Butte. Officers later searched his vehicle and found two firearms (a .40 caliber with an obliterated serial number and a 9MM), as well as additional firearm parts, including a gun suppressor. The .40 caliber handgun recovered from the defendant’s vehicle was fitted with a ‘Glock switch,’ a conversion device that enabled the handgun to function as a fully-automatic machine gun.
Also in June 2023, police in Wheat Ridge searched another vehicle in the defendant’s possession, a Hertz rental car that had been reported stolen. They recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15; additional firearm parts, including two suppressors; and magazines and ammunition.
Before 2023, the defendant had been convicted of a felony that was punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. He was therefore barred from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
“Mr. Oldenburg has forfeited his right to own firearms,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado J. Bishop Grewell. “Our office will continue to prioritize punishing felons in possession of weapons outfitted with machine gun conversion devices.”
On May 19, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law adding auto theft to the list of felonies that bar offenders from possessing firearms. POWPO enforcement in Colorado has not always been as strident as some would like.
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