Troy Felon Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing a Firearm

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jashene Austin, age 29, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to distributing fentanyl and illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

Austin admitted that on August 11, 2023, he sold, to another person, 50 grams of fentanyl and a semi-automatic pistol.  A prior felony conviction for attempted burglary prevented Austin from legally possessing the firearm in New York.

Austin faces a minimum term of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life, when he is sentenced on October 22, 2024, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. 

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.

ATF investigated this case with assistance provided by the Troy Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.