Department of Justice

CONCORD - William Charles Pelletier, 36, of Andover, Maine, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to unlawful transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce and misdemeanor assault, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.

 

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 13, 2018, the defendant was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for felony abusive sexual contact. It is unlawful for a person who is under indictment for a felony to transport a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce. On November 25, 2018, while that charge remained pending and the defendant was on pretrial release, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent conducted a traffic stop of the defendant’s black Cadillac Escalade after observing the vehicle travel from Vermont to New Hampshire. Ultimately, a search of the vehicle yielded two firearms and over 300 grams of suspected marijuana. The defendant admitted that the drugs and guns in the vehicle belonged to him. In addition, the defendant resolved the pending charge in the Northern District of Georgia by pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault related to groping a passenger on an airplane.

 

Pelletier is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11,2019.

 

“Criminal activity involving firearms presents an increased risk of harm to the public,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “In order to protect the citizens of New Hampshire, we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those who illegally possess guns.”

 

“Swanton Sector appreciates the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire in their diligent prosecution of this case and the ATF for their ongoing partnership,” said U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent William Maddocks. “All the partner agencies involved in this case work hard every day to protect our communities from all threats and make them a safer place to live.”

 

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.

 

The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.