Cayuga County Man Charged with Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Workman, age 32, of Conquest, New York, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon on October 6, 2020.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck.

The criminal complaint alleges that Workman, a felon, possessed and discharged a .30-06 caliber rifle at his residence in Conquest, on October 6, 2020. Authorities also located several rounds of ammunition at his residence.

The charges in the complaint are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

If convicted, Workman faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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.

Workman appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered him detained.

This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Office of Special Investigation for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), and the Schenectady Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.