Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: Manchester Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charges
CONCORD, N.H. – Sara Johnson, 35, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal firearms charges, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Johnson purchased a rifle in a private sale from an individual in New Hampshire sometime in 2015. Johnson subsequently provided the rifle to an individual Johnson knew to be a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Johnson also purchased a pistol in 2015 in a private sale in Bow, New Hampshire. At the time of the purchase, the pistol’s serial number was intact. On June 9, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence. A pistol with an obliterated serial number was found underneath a mattress. Testing later confirmed it to be the same pistol Johnson had purchased in 2015. Possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number is a violation of federal law.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, 2018.
“Protecting the community from violent crime is a high priority of the United States Department of Justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Those who purchase guns for criminals are contributing to the violent crime problem. Along with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to use the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to take guns out of the hands of criminals and to protect the safety of our communities.”
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Manchester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane B. Kelbley.
The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.
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