A Washington man convicted of indecent exposure in Lincoln County last year has pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession in federal court.

Mallory Nehemiah Brown, 43, of Auburn, Washington, pleaded guilty Tuesday to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Brown faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Brown has a 2004 bank robbery conviction on his record and it prohibits him from possessing firearms and ammunition. The government alleged in court documents that in 2004, Brown was convicted of bank robbery in federal district court in California.

Brown was removed from an Amtrak train Jan. 9, 2024, in Libby after the indecent exposure incident. It led to a search of his possessions where officers found four guns, three without serial numbers.

U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said on Jan. 8, 2024, Brown boarded an Amtrak train in Seattle with a black duffel bag and several long boxes. Brown placed his bags and boxes on the luggage rack. 

The train was bound for Washington, D.C., with a stop in Chicago, Illinois. On Jan. 9, 2024, the train stopped in Libby based on the indecent assault complaint by other passengers about Brown. 

Libby Chief of Police Cody Ercanbrack and county Sheriff’s Office Captain John Davis removed Brown from the train. 

The train conductor located Brown’s bags. Inside, he discovered four guns, ammunition, magazines, a suppressor, eight firearms receivers, night vision goggles, a tactical vest and other assorted accessories. The four firearms were identified as a .22 LR HV rifle, which had a serial number; a 12-gauge pump shotgun with an obliterated serial number; a 12-gauge semi-auto shot gun with no visible serial number; and a 9mm semi-auto pistol with no visible serial number. Brown denied the bags belonged to him, but several Amtrak employees identified Brown as the person who loaded the bags on the train. One of the boxes had a shipping label on it addressed to “Mallory Brown.”

Ercanbrack spoke with Brown and asked him if he had been masturbating on the train. He allegedly said he had his hand down his pants while he slept.

Ercanbrack then spoke to the sisters, one 14 years old and the other, 16 years old. The alleged 14-year-old victim said Brown sat down in front of them and said he kept looking back at them while he allegedly masturbated. They told the officer they could see Brown’s penis as he touched himself while he looked back at them.

One of the girls got her grandma, who then sat in her seat and she also witnessed Brown masturbating, according to the court document. The grandmother found the conductor and told him what was happening. The conductor called Lincoln County Dispatch to request Brown be removed from the train and charged.

According to the probable cause statement by Ercanbrack, Brown had a conviction for indecent exposure on March 8, 2017, in Miles City, Montana.

Brown was charged with felony indecent exposure to a minor and misdemeanor indecent exposure to a minor. The felony charge was dropped in the plea deal. He was released from custody Sept. 3 following his Aug. 27 plea.

Because Brown was incarcerated since January, he had enough time to be released following the plea deal. He had to pay $235 in surcharges.

In the federal gun case, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for May 29 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Brown is locked up in the Missoula County Detention Center, pending further proceedings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Libby Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and Montana Probation and Parole conducted the investigation.