Somersworth Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of An Unregistered Firearm

DOJ Press

            CONCORD – Ryan Cortina, 34, of Somersworth, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of an unregistered firearm, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 23, 2019, the Somersworth Police Department received information from a confidential information (CI) that Cortina possessed destructive devices at his Somersworth residence.  The CI claimed Cortina showed him a “grenade” he had built.  Officers applied for a search warrant for Cortina’s residence. While executing the warrant on September 27, 2019, officers located five suspected destructive devices in a duffle bag.  Further analysis showed that one of the devices was an improvised explosive bomb which therefore should have been registered in accordance with Federal Firearms Registrations

            Cortina is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18, 2022.

            “By possessing an improvised bomb, the defendant placed residents of Somersworth in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Farley.  “Had the device been detonated, it could have threatened the lives of innocent people.  Thanks to the hard work and responsiveness of law enforcement officers, a potential tragedy was averted.  This case provides an example of how law enforcement officers are working each day to protect public safety in the Granite State.”


             This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Somersworth Police Department with the assistance of New Hampshire State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.


             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. 

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