Cayuga County Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and Ammunition

ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Workman, age 33, of Conquest, New York, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition as a felon. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Darren Miller, Deputy Commissioner and Chief of the Office of Special Investigation for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS); and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck.

As part of his guilty plea, Workman, who has prior felony convictions for arson and burglary offenses, admitted that he possessed a .30-06 caliber rifle and ammunition. and discharged the rifle at his residence in Conquest on October 6, 2020.

Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, which will start after Workman is released from prison. Workman was also sentenced to 15 months in prison for violating his parole in New York State based on the same conduct; those 15 months in state prison will not be credited toward his federal term of imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DOCCS, and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download