Newark Man Sentenced To 66 Months In Prison For Unlawful Possession Of A Semiautomatic Pistol

NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark man with prior felony convictions was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a semiautomatic pistol, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Clarence Noel, 50, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an Information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Walls imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

On Sept. 24, 2011, Noel knowingly possessed a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson Chief’s Special, model CS45, in Newark. Noel was found with the pistol after previous felony convictions.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Walls sentenced Noel to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Donald J. Soranno, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Newark Police Department, the N.J. State Police and the acting Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, for their important roles in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lorraine S. Gerson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Peter Carter Esq., Federal Public Defender’s Office, Newark