Houlton man pleads guilty to illegally possessing firearms

6 years ago

BANGOR, Maine — A Houlton man pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to illegally possessing firearms. 

According to court records, between October and December 2016, John Martin, 39, purchased three pistols and two rifles from a business in Maine. Martin was prohibited from possessing firearms because of an April 2016 conviction in Maine for misdemeanor domestic violence assault.

Police executed a search warrant at Martin’s residence on July 26, 2017, and seized one of the rifles.

Martin faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank. Frank could not immediately be reached for comment, but the prosecutor said in a written statement that Martin will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Houlton Police Department.