Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Felon Pleads Guilty to the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
CONCORD, N.H. – A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord to the unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Garrito (“Tony”) Fort, 39, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante scheduled sentencing for January 25, 2024. Fort was charged on August 1, 2022.
According to court documents, on the morning of November 1, 2021, Fort believed a man had scratched his car the night before, so he left a residence in Seabrook to confront him. Armed with a Taurus 9 mm pistol, Fort confronted the man for approximately three minutes. During the confrontation, two witnesses tried separating Fort and the man. One of the witnesses also told Fort to “put that gun away.” Fort fired two shots. The first shot seriously injured another man, and the second shot killed the man that Fort thought scratched his car. The shooting was captured on video camera.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Seabrook Police Department and New Hampshire State Police led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander S. Chen and Charles L. Rombeau are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le also previously worked on this matter.
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