A Blue Hill man was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of supervised release in the U.S. District Court in Bangor on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to making a false statement while purchasing a firearm.
According to court records, Caleb Rhine, 22, of Blue Hill, successfully purchased a firearm in May 2024 from a licensed firearms dealer in Ellsworth.
During the purchase, he was required to fill out Form 4473 from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The form asks prospective firearm purchasers the question, “Are you under indictment or information in any court for a felony, or for any other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year?”
Rhine marked the box saying that he was not, but at the time of the purchase, he was under indictment following a 2023 arrest on charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs.
The Hancock Sheriff’s Department assisted the ATF in investigating the case.
Rhine pleaded guilty to the firearm charge in September 2025.
