NEWARK, N.J. – A Monmouth County man has been charged with being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today. The weapon in question was found, along with a number of other weapons and ammunition, during a lawful search of a pawn shop and residence connected to one of the perpetrators of the Dec. 10, 2019, mass shooting in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Ahmed A-Hady, 35, of Keyport, New Jersey, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was arrested by FBI agents early this morning and is expected to appear on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court.
According to the complaint, filed today:
On Dec. 10, 2019, there was a mass shooting in Jersey City in which two individuals, a male (Individual 1) and a female (Individual 2), killed three civilians after earlier killing a law enforcement officer. After the shooting, law enforcement recovered from Individual 1’s right rear pants pocket a handwritten note that contained a telephone number ending in 4115, and a Keyport, New Jersey, address. Law enforcement also recovered several weapons carried by Individuals 1 and 2, including an AR-15 rifle.
FBI agents determined that the phone number ending in 4115 contained on the note belonged to A-Hady. Law enforcement also determined that the Keyport address listed on the note was a storefront for a pawn shop.
Law enforcement obtained records of A-Hady’s history of firearm purchases. Those records indicated that around May 23, 2007, A-Hady purchased a Smith and Wesson .45 caliber handgun bearing serial number NHN5284 (the “.45 caliber”). Records also indicate that on or about June 2, 2007, A-Hady purchased a Smith and Wesson .44 caliber handgun bearing serial number CEV4085 (the “.44 caliber”).
Subsequent to purchasing the firearms, A-Hady was convicted on April 2, 2012, in Monmouth County Superior Court, of attempting to obtain a controlled dangerous substance or analog by fraud, a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. As a result of that conviction, A-Hady is no longer permitted to possess a firearm.
On the evening of Dec. 13, 2019, law enforcement officers traveled to the pawnshop and interviewed A-Hady and two of his relatives. During the course of A-Hady’s interview, he admitted to owning both the .45 caliber and the .44 caliber, but falsely denied that they were on the premises.
After A-Hady was interviewed, one of his relatives (Relative-1) told law enforcement that there was a safe located inside Company A. Relative-1 further stated that the safe contained firearms, including A-Hady’s .44 and .45 caliber handguns. Relative-1 subsequently consented to a search of the safe located inside the pawnshop. Law enforcement recovered three firearms: (i) a PK 380; (ii) a Ruger 9mm bearing serial number 33389546; and (iii) the Smith and Wesson .44 caliber handgun bearing serial number CEV4085 referenced above.
Law enforcement then lawfully searched both the pawnshop and A-Hady’s private residence. During the search of the pawnshop, law enforcement recovered six rifles (including three AR-15-style assault rifles), three handguns, and one shotgun. In addition, during the searches of the pawnshop and A-Hady’s private residence, law enforcement recovered over 400 rounds of ammunition, including a large number of hollow point bullets.
The charge of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson in Newark; the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal; and the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to the charge. U.S. Attorney Carpenito also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, and the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Ronnell Wilson, Chief of the National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dean C. Sovolos and Thomas S. Kearney, also of the National Security Unit.