Former Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to the Unlawful Possession of Firearms and Ammunition

CONCORD – A former Manchester man pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

James Aubuchont, 52, pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of two firearms and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition.  U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante scheduled sentencing for September 19, 2024. Aubuchont is already serving a sentence in New Hampshire state prison on other offenses.

In July 2023, a state warrant was issued for Aubuchont’s arrest in connection with an aggravated felonious sexual assault.  Law enforcement arrested him on July 12, 2023, near the Flat Mountain Pond Shelter in the White Mountains.  During a recorded jailhouse call, Aubuchont asked another person to retrieve his two “fishing rods” from the campsite, including one that “we got from VJ, remember the one you bought?”  Three days later, law enforcement recovered a rifle and pistol from Aubuchont’s campsite, along with over 2,000 rounds of ammunition.  The rifle had been purchased from a firearms dealer operated by an individual with the first and middle initials V.J.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 15 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms led the investigation.  The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Forest Service provided valuable assistance.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander S. Chen and Tiffany A. Scanlon are prosecuting the case. 

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