Man Pleads Guilty To Using False Information To Obtain Firearms

            CONCORD – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced today that Nana Kofi Baffoe, 63, appeared before United States District Court Chief Judge Joseph Laplante and pleaded guilty to two charges of making false statements related to the purchase of firearms.

            According to documents that were filed in United States District Court and statements in the plea proceeding, on February 4, 2015, Baffoe purchased two Ruger .45 caliber pistols from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hudson, New Hampshire.  In purchasing these handguns, Baffoe filled out a form where he stated that he resided at a location in Manchester, New Hampshire.  A subsequent law enforcement investigation showed that this statement was false.  At the time of the purchase, Baffoe was residing in Canada and never resided at the address in Manchester.  Under federal law, the firearms dealer could not have lawfully sold the firearms to the defendant if he was not a resident of New Hampshire.

            Baffoe was originally arrested on May 26, 2015.  According to an affidavit previously filed in federal court, Baffoe entered the United States from Canada at a border crossing on May 18, 2015.  A few days later, he met with a firearms dealer in Nashua, New Hampshire and sought to purchase 100 handguns.  However, that subsequent transaction did not take place.

           This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester Police Department, Nashua Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, Office of Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. State Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Farley.

            A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 19, 2016. 

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