Greene County Felon Sentenced to 84 Months for Possessing Cocaine and Cocaine Base for Distribution, and Possessing Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Atniel Pagan, age 24, of Catskill, New York, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for possessing and intending to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, and for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York; Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins.
When he pled guilty in this case, Pagan admitted to possessing, at an apartment in Albany, 225 grams of cocaine and 22 grams of cocaine base that he intended to sell. Pagan, a previously convicted felon, further admitted to possessing a loaded, privately manufactured, semi-automatic, AR-style rifle, and a loaded privately manufactured, semi-automatic pistol (a/k/a “ghost guns”), in order to guard against the potential theft of his drugs and drug money. Pagan was arrested at his apartment by the Deputy U.S. Marshals executing a state arrest warrant.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered that Pagan forfeit the guns and $738 seized from his apartment, pay a $5,000 fine, and serve a 4-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Albany Police with assistance provided by ATF and the Greene County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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