Ansonia Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Firearm Dealing

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MALIQUE MARTIN, 25, of Ansonia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for illegally dealing firearms and ammunition.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in August and September 2019, members of ATF and the New Haven Police Department made controlled purchases of four firearms and corresponding ammunition from Martin.  Two of firearms Martin sold – an AR-1 Patriot semiautomatic rifle and a Bersa 9mm pistol – had obliterated serial numbers.  During one of the sales, Martin noted that the bullets he provided could pierce a bulletproof vest.

Martin was arrested on October 2, 2019.  On January 16, 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Martin, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on July 21, 2020.

This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New Haven Police Department and Ansonia Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.

This prosecution is 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 make neighborhoods safer for everyone.