ALBANY, NEW YORK – Thomas Hendricks Jr., age 40, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a loaded pistol as a felon.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
As part of his plea, Hendricks admitted that on June 20, 2021, he brandished a 9mm semi-automatic pistol while live-streaming on his Facebook account. He further admitted that on June 28, 2021, he possessed the same loaded pistol in his residence in the city of Schenectady, at which time it was seized by the Schenectady Police Department as part of an investigation. Two prior felony convictions, for criminal possession of a weapon and aggravated cruelty to animals, prevented Hendricks from legally possessing the firearm in New York.
Hendricks faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on September 13, 2022, by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Schenectady Police Department, with assistance provided by the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.