A New York man sentenced for firearms conspiracy and drug charges

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Amanze Antoine, of Mt. Vernon, New York, was sentenced today to 120 months incarceration for illegal firearms sales and cocaine distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

After a three-day trial in December 2018, a federal jury found Antoine, age 38, guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Violate Federal Firearms Laws” one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base,” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Antoine recruited a group of individuals in Morgantown, West Virginia and elsewhere to create false documentation to purchase firearms, transported and sold the illegally obtained firearms from West Virginia to New York. He also distributed cocaine in Morgantown in May 2017. Antoine was previously convicted of two crimes in New York, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.

Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.