St. Lawrence County Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Gun, Ammunition

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – Clayton T. Brothers, age 40, of Russell, New York, pled guilty on Friday to illegally possessing a firearm and more than 1,000 rounds of steel-penetrating ammunition.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian; James Spero, Special Agent in Charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico; and Anthony J. Annucci, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

As part of his plea, Brothers admitted to possessing a Sig Sauer 556 pistol, and more than 1,000 rounds of 5.56 mm caliber NATO Lake City XM855 Grain Steel Penetrator ammunition, at his home in St. Lawrence County in April 2014. A prior felony conviction prevents Brothers from possessing firearms and ammunition.

He faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on July 25, 2016 by United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. 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 case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.