Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to the Illegal Possession of Firearms

CONCORD – A former Ohio man pleaded guilty today in federal court to the illegal possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Bernard Murphy, a/k/a Bernard Malik El, 38, pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of two firearms as a prohibited person.  Chief U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for September 18, 2023.

On May 2021, the defendant had been residing at the Days Inn in Campton for several months when Campton Police Department received a tip about his potential involvement in narcotics trafficking at the hotel.  Upon searching the defendant’s hotel room, law enforcement seized a 9MM handgun and a loaded 12-gauge shotgun.  Murphy is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction in the State of Ohio in 2008. 

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Campton Police Department led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.  

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