Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Chinese Man Sentenced for Possession of a Machine Gun
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Rejjie Ni, 24, of Shanghai, China, who was convicted of possession of a machine gun, was sentenced to time served (11 months) by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who handled the case, stated that on March 18, 2019, the Amherst Police Department responded to the defendant’s apartment following a report that there were a large number of firearms inside the residence. During the execution of a search warrant, officers recovered 33 rifles, two shotguns, and numerous rounds of ammunition, including armor piercing bullets.
One of the rifles recovered was a semi-automatic rifle under Ni’s bed. Subsequent investigation and expert analysis determined that the defendant had converted the semi-automatic rifle into a fully automatic machinegun.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division, the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Askey, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
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