Latham Man Sentenced for Possessing a Short-Barreled Rifle

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph T. Clemente, Jr., age 34, of Latham, New York, was sentenced today to time served (6 days in jail) and 3 years of supervised release for illegally possessing a short-barreled rifle.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division.

As part of his January 31, 2018 guilty plea, Clemente admitted that he intentionally removed the upper receiver of a rifle that he had purchased at a gun store, and replaced it with an upper receiver he purchased on the Internet, which he knew included a 9-inch barrel.  The resulting firearm he illegally possessed was a rifle with a barrel of less than 16 inches, also known as a short-barreled rifle.

This case was investigated by ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.