Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Cedric L. Hudson, Jr., age 36, of Syracuse, pled guilty today to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Acting New York State Police Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.

Cedric Hudson was arrested in the Town of Dewitt, New York near Carrier Circle on October 17, 2022, when New York State Troopers observed him driving erratically. He was stopped near a local gas station when it was learned his driver’s license was suspended and a tow truck was called to remove his car. A search of the vehicle prior to it being towed located a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun and seven rounds of .45 caliber ammunition in a magazine clip. Hudson was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition having been previously convicted in Onondaga County Court of a felony drug offense in 2014. When arrested on October 17, 2022, Cedric Hudson was also the subject of a parole violation warrant from the state of North Carolina.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 20, 2022, in Syracuse, New York, at which the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000,00, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The case against Cedric L. Hudson, Jr. was adopted for federal prosecution after a joint review by the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the New York State Police as part of gun violence reduction efforts in Onondaga County.

This case is being investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York State Police-Community Stabilization Unit (NYSP-CSU), with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.