Press Release
Massachusetts Man Charged with Multiple Firearm Offenses
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a four-count indictment charging NICHOLAS KINGSLEY, 40, of Agawam, Massachusetts, with firearm possession offenses.
The indictment was returned on December 4, 2024. Kingsley appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on April 16, 2024.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on August 16, 2024, Enfield Police arrested Kingsley after a traffic stop and he was found in possession of three privately made firearms (“ghost guns”) and 45 rounds of ammunition. On April 18, 2024, while Kingsley was detained in state custody, HSI special agents conducted a search of his vehicle in Agawam and seized 14 fully assembled firearms, several Glock machine gun conversion devices, and more than 2,000 rounds of various caliber ammunition.
It is alleged that Kingsley’s criminal history includes felony convictions for drug, firearm, assault, and larceny offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges Kingsley with unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; unlawful possession of a machine gun, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and unlawful possession of a weapon in violation of the National Firearms Act, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Enfield Police Department, and the Agawam Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Lembo.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Updated December 19, 2024
Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses
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