Department of Justice

CONCORD - Jose Rafael Soriano, 28, of Lynn, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for aiding another in an illegal effort to purchase firearms, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced.

 

According to court documents and statements made during the prosecution of the case, on July 15, 2015, Soriano, and three friends, Michael Younge, Adrian Aleman and Tasha Gardner, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Of the four, only Gardner was legally eligible to buy handguns. Soriano and Younge, with Aleman’s help, solicited Gardner to buy two handguns on their behalf. Gardner agreed to assist and attempted to purchase the two guns for Soriano and Younge. In connection with that attempt, Gardner filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter handgun purchases on which she falsely certified that she was the "actual purchaser" of the two handguns, when she was really attempting to buy them for Soriano and Younge. The store never transferred the firearms because its employees became suspicious and declined to complete the transaction.

 

All of the individuals involved in this crime pleaded guilty. On July 30, 2017, Younge was sentenced to serve five years in prison. On March 13, 2017, Gardner was sentenced to three years of probation. On April 7, 2017, Aleman was sentenced to two years of probation.

 

Soriano previously pleaded guilty on October 12, 2018.

 

"In order to keep our communities safe, it is vital to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, said U.S. Attorney Murray. "Those who illegally possess firearms present a real danger to public safety. We will continue to be aggressive in our efforts to prevent criminals from obtaining guns and to prosecute those who illegally buy guns for criminals."

 

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Debra M. Walsh.

 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce gun crime in America through, among other things, community outreach and vigorous prosecution of firearms offenses.