Massachusetts Man Sentenced On Federal Gun Charges

            CONCORD, N.H. – John Wachaga, 22, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was sentenced on Friday in United States District Court in Concord, New Hampshire, for aiding and abetting the straw purchase of a firearm, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  According to United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice, Wachaga was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively to a sentence Wachaga is currently serving on state charges in Massachusetts.  The defendant faces possible deportation proceedings following the completion of his sentence.

            According to court records and statements in court, on May 4, 2014, officers from the Lowell, Massachusetts Police Department stopped a vehicle being driven by Wachaga, and seized a handgun secreted underneath Wachaga’s seat.  Upon further investigation, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) learned that Wachaga had persuaded another individual to purchase the firearm for him in New Hampshire, because a prior felony conviction precluded him from purchasing the firearm himself.

            This prosecution arose from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (Boston and New Hampshire), in conjunction with the Lowell, Massachusetts Police Department. 

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nick Abramson.