Manchester Man Sentenced To 83 Months In Prison On Federal Firearms Charges

            Concord, New Hampshire—Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Marcos Nieves, 40, previously of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced on Friday to serve 83 months in prison for the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, members of the Manchester Police Department obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s Manchester residence in connection with an investigation into a non-fatal shooting on August 8, 2015. While executing the search warrant, officers recovered two stolen AK-47 style weapons, several firearm magazine clips, ammunition, drugs, drug dealing paraphernalia, and personal documents identifying Nieves in a bedroom closet. At the time, Nieves was prohibited from possessing any firearm as a result of at least one prior felony conviction.

            Nieves was indicted on these federal firearms charges in April 2016 and he pleaded guilty in December 2016.

            Nieves also pleaded guilty to narcotics charges in Hillsborough County in connection with the drugs recovered during the execution of the search warrant. He is serving a sentence of two to four years in New Hampshire State Prison. The Court’s sentence on federal charges will run concurrent with entirety the state sentence. Following his release from federal prison, will be subject to a period of supervised release of three years.

            Commenting on the sentence, Acting United States Attorney Farley said, “Working with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, the United States Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting those who possess firearms unlawfully or use firearms to commit crimes. Individuals who commit crimes involving guns should be aware that they will face substantial penalties for their actions.”

            This matter is being 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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