Manchester Man Charged With Unlawfully Possessing Firearms

          CONCORD - Raheem Taylor, 28, of Manchester, has been charged in federal court with unlawfully possessing firearms, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

          According to court documents, Taylor was arrested on Friday following the execution of a search warrant in Manchester.  He initially was charged in state court with the possession of firearms while being a convicted felon and possession of a controlled drug.  Taylor has prior felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms.

          Taylor was taken into federal custody today and charged in a federal criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing firearms.  Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.  The complaint alleges that two handguns were seized from Taylor’s residence, including one with an extended high capacity magazine capable of holding 17 rounds of ammunition.

          Taylor is scheduled to appear for a United States Magistrate Judge later today.           

          The charges in the complaint are only allegations.  The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

          This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, New Hampshire State Police and Manchester Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.

          The case is part of ATF’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes. 

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