Schenectady Felon Convicted of Illegally Possessing Handgun and Ammunition

ALBANY, NEW YORK – A jury today voted to convict John “Body” Coffin, 49, of Schenectady, New York, for illegally possessing a handgun and ammunition, following a five-day trial.  The jury acquitted Coffin on a second charge, of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The evidence at trial established that Coffin provided a Walther P22 .22 caliber firearm, which he described as “the murderer’s gun,” and nine rounds of ammunition to another man in Schenectady, New York.

Coffin could not possess the handgun or ammunition because of prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses. As a result of this jury conviction, Coffin is an Armed Career Criminal. He faces at least 15 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy on March 11, 2018. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This prosecution resulted from an investigation by the Capital District Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members of the FBI, United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the New York State Police, the Schenectady Police Department, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York Air National Guard.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.