Watervliet Man Pleads Guilty to Dealing Firearms Without a License

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sean Patrick, age 45, of Watervliet, New York, pled guilty today to dealing firearms without a license. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Patrick admitted that between June 2021 and November 2022, he built and sold four non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols without being licensed to do so, filling out any paperwork, or paying any taxes in connection with the sales.  On November 10, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant on Patrick’s residence in Watervliet, and recovered four more privately manufactured, non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols, another semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number, assorted gun kits and fabrication tools, and over a thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2024, before Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Khan.  Patrick faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, 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 FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force — which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie and Watervliet Police Departments — investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, 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.