Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard Bradley, age 36, of Syracuse, was sentenced yesterday to 14 months in prison following his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Bradley admitted that, on September 9, 2024, he possessed a loaded assault rifle in his vehicle, which was parked at a gas station in East Syracuse. Bradley inadvertently fired the rifle several times, but did not strike anyone. As a result of his prior felony conviction for criminal mischief, Bradley could not lawfully possess a firearm.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a three-year term of supervised release to begin following the term of imprisonment and ordered Bradley to forfeit the rifle he possessed.
U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “When Bradley fired the rifle in the parking lot, he put the lives of everyone at that gas station in danger. Thanks to the quick thinking of the gas station employees and the fast response by law enforcement, no one was harmed.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Miller said, “This case is a powerful reminder of the danger posed when illegal firearms end up in the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them. We thank our partners at the Manlius Police Department, the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York for their work in holding this individual accountable. This shows the impact of Project Safe Neighborhoods and our collective commitment to reducing violent crime.”
ATF and the Manlius Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.