Augusta Man Sentenced to 1½ Years for Lying to a Federal Gun Dealer

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced Jason Morgan, 24, of Augusta, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Lance E. Walker to 1½ years in prison and three years of supervised release for making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee.  Morgan pleaded guilty on January 17, 2019.

Court records reveal that on May 26, 2017, Morgan purchased a Smith & Wesson .380 semi-automatic pistol from a federal firearms licensee in Augusta.  In connection with the purchase, Morgan completed a Firearms Transaction Record stating that he was the actual buyer.  In fact, he purchased the firearm for another person from whom he had previously bought illegal drugs and who gave him the money for the purchase. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maine State Police, with assistance provided by the U.S. Border Patrol.  This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal and state levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Justice Department reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.