Previously Convicted Felon Involved in Shooting Admits Illegal Possession of Firearm and Ammunition
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man previously convicted of three felonies admitted today to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition in connection with a shooting, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jamel Armfield, 20, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On June 24, 2020, Armfield knowingly possessed a .45 caliber Springfield Armory semi-automatic handgun, Model XD-45 ACP, and 14 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition, when he fired nine rounds from that handgun at a vehicle traveling on Gates Avenue in Jersey City. The motive and intended target(s) remain unknown. The shooting was captured on a nearby surveillance camera. The firearm was then hidden by Armfield and recovered by members of the Jersey City Police Department. It contained five additional rounds of ammunition. At that time, Armfield had previously been convicted in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Hudson County, of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances on or near school property, and resisting arrest, all of which are felonies.
The charge to which Armfield pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6, 2021.
This case is part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combating violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers of the ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson, Newark Field Division, and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, for its assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Rahul Sharma Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
