Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Possession of Machinegun

NEWARK, N.J. – A Brooklyn man who is a previously convicted felon was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for possessing a machinegun, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Christian Cordero-Gotay, 29, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to one count of possession of a machinegun, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a machinegun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Aug. 31, 2020, officers of the Clinton Township Police Department conducted a motor vehicle stop of a vehicle occupied by Cordero-Gotay and Genesis Bertefabian, 28. The officers detected an odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Pursuant to a search of the vehicle, an officer observed a loaded Glock magazine under the driver’s seat. The officers attempted to place Cordero-Gotay and Bertefabian under arrest, but Cordero-Gotay resisted arrest and Bertefabian got in the vehicle and drove away. 

A few minutes later, Bertefabian crashed into the side of a building. Bertefabian then exited the vehicle and walked into a wooded area behind the building. Law enforcement officers conducted a search of the wooded area where Bertefabian was seen, where they found a 9 mm Glock-type semiautomatic firearm. Law enforcement officials determined that the firearm was fitted with a Glock conversion device commonly referred to as “Glock Switch,” which has the effect of converting a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a machinegun. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, law enforcement recovered two high-capacity magazines loaded with 9mm ammunition.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Cordero-Gotay to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews, and the Clinton Township Police Department, under the direction of Lieutenant Thomas DeRosa, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey E. Zyriek Enriquez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.

Bertefabian was charged by criminal complaint with illegal possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. The charges against Bertefabian remain pending, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.