Ex-Dover man gets nearly 5 years for firearms conviction
CONCORD — A former Dover man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court for illegally possessing four firearms and ammunition he acquired by using a straw purchaser.
Christopher T. Brown, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe to 57 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. On Feb. 7, Brown pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The straw purchaser in this case pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements in connection with acquisition of a firearm and was sentenced on Oct. 25, according to Jane Young, U.S. attorney for New Hampshire.
“The defendant used a straw purchaser to unlawfully acquire and possess multiple firearms,” Young said in a prepared statement. “Individuals prohibited from obtaining firearms cannot use straw purchasers to circumvent federal law.”
On Jan. 9, 2023, the defendant’s wife called emergency services and reported she and the defendant had an argument, and the defendant had a gun to his head, according to Young. Dover police responded and the wife consented to a search of the house, where officers found four firearms in the closet of their son’s bedroom. Those guns included two pistols, a .40 caliber rifle, and a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number. Officers also recovered ammunition.
The defendant later admitted to owning the firearms and knowing that he could not lawfully possess them as a felon. The defendant also admitted that he used a straw purchaser to purchase three of the firearms and asked that straw purchaser to file a false police report that the firearms she bought were stolen.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Ex-Dover man gets nearly 5 years for firearms conviction
