Glenburn Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Firearms

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that yesterday, United States District Judge John A. Woodcock sentenced Jonathan Gardiner, 31, of Glenburn, to 100 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing firearms.   Gardiner pleaded guilty to the charges on April 24, 2017. 

According to court records, on November 13, 2014, Penobscot County Sherriff’s Office deputies went to Gardiner’s residence in Glenburn in response to the discharge of a firearm.  Gardiner ran away from the deputies and disposed of a 9 mm pistol outside of the residence.  Deputies entered the residence and located a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun hidden above Gardiner’s bedroom.  Forensic testing revealed that Gardiner’s DNA was on the trigger of the sawed-off shotgun and his fingerprints were on the sawed-off shotgun and on the pistol.  Gardiner was prohibited from possessing firearms because of Maine felony convictions for burglary, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful use of property, and drug trafficking.  In imposing sentence, Judge John Woodcock reviewed Gardiner’s extensive criminal history and noted that he had long been prohibited from possessing any firearms. 

The investigation was conducted by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.