Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
North Tonawanda Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm as Convicted Felon
BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Abimael Mercado, 36, of North Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the case, stated that on May 11, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Mercado’s home and found a shotgun and 11 shells in his bedroom. The defendant was previously convicted of a federal drug felony, and is prohibited from legally possessing firearms and ammunition.
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 Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Timothy Howard, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen.
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