ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Manokotak man with illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to court documents, on Oct. 6, 2023, Wasillie Chocknok, 54, knowingly possessed a firearm as a felon. In June 2008, Chocknok was convicted of assault in the second degree in Alaska Superior Court in Dillingham, and in March 2022, he was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in Alaska Superior Court in Dillingham. Both were felony convictions.
Chocknok is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance tomorrow before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais made the announcement.
The ATF Anchorage Field Office, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and Village Public Safety Officers, is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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