Ulster County Felon Sentenced to 70 Months for Unlawful Firearm Possession

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Bram Fox, age 44, of Kerhonkson, New York, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a rifle as a previously convicted felon. 

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.

In previously pleading guilty, Fox admitted that on January 31, 2023, he possessed about 30 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his house, including an Aero Precision M5 rifle.  Fox has felony convictions in New York and Connecticut, including a 2009 conviction for an armed bank robbery in Connecticut, that prevented him from lawfully possessing the rifle.

Fox also admitted that from about October 2020 until January 2023, he purchased firearms parts from several dozen online retailers; had these items shipped to his residence in Kerhonkson; and then used these firearms parts to manufacture non-serialized handguns and rifles, which are sometimes called “ghost guns” due to the fact that this type of firearm does not contain a serial number imprinted by a manufacturer. Of the firearms that Fox possessed on January 31, 2023, most were non-serialized. ATF agents, who searched Fox’s house on January 31, 2023, also found him to be in possession of various tools that could be used to manufacture and modify firearms, as well as firearms parts and accessories such as frames, grips, scopes, sights, and slides.

The ATF and New York State Police investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett prosecuted this case.