Manchester Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Federal Firearm Crime

          Concord, N.H.— Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today that Christian Cherry, 33, previously of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

          According to court documents and statements made in court proceedings, on August 13, 2016, after receiving a 911 call, Manchester Police responded to a residence for a reported domestic dispute. Upon arrival, they encountered Cherry in his vehicle in the parking lot of the residence, and his then-girlfriend inside the apartment. Once in the apartment, officers observed visible signs of a struggle, and witnesses reported the presence of a firearm. Officers ultimately obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered two Smith & Wesson handguns in a bedroom belonging to Cherry. One of the firearms had been reported stolen to Manchester Police in June 2016. Cherry was prohibited from possessing any firearm as a result of at least one prior felony conviction.

          A federal grand jury indicted Cherry for being a felon in possession of a firearm on October 19, 2016. Cherry pleaded guilty on May 10, 2017. He has been in custody since his arrest on November 17, 2016.

          In addition to a 30-month prison sentence, the Court ordered Cherry to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment.

          This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Manchester Police Department. 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. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.

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