New York, NY – A seventeen-count indictment was fully unsealed yesterday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging numerous individuals with conspiracy to deal in firearms and making false statements to acquire firearms.
- As set forth in the indictment and other documents filed by the government, between October 2015 and April 2016 the defendants purchased more than 70 firearms from stores and gun shows in Georgia
- The firearms were transported to the metropolitan New York City area, where they were sold in illegal transactions on the street
- The defendants, who acted as straw purchasers, made false statements to obtain the firearms
- The defendants lied on ATF Form 4473, a form gun purchasers are required to complete to verify, among other things, that they are not purchasing firearms on behalf of others
- Three of the defendants, Desuze, Sease-Matthews, and Walker, are former members of the United States military
“This department has no tolerance for those who traffic illegal guns into our city,” said New York Police Commissioner Bratton. “I commend the work of the detectives and agents whose work resulted in these arrests.”
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THE DEFENDANTS
- MARQUEZ BRIDGES
Age: 26
Atlanta, Georgia
2. MICAH ISAIAH DESUZE
Age: 24
Atlanta, Georgia
3. DOMINIQUE CHANEL FAIRNOT
Age: 26
Atlanta, Georgia
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4. JEREMY SANCHEZ
Age: 26
Atlanta, Georgia
5. ASHANTI SEASE-MATTHEWS
Age: 23
Atlanta, Georgia
6. OMAR JERMAINE WALKER
Age: 26
Savannah, Georgia
- The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret E. Gandy and Rena Paul are in charge of the prosecution
- The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty
- If convicted, the defendants face a maximum prison term of ten years