ALBANY, NEW YORK – Stephen Calderon, age 42, of Albany, pled guilty today to illegally possessing a rifle 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, Calderon admitted that on December 19, 2018, he knowingly possessed a Norinco SKS 7.62×39 caliber rifle in the city of Albany. Two prior felony convictions, both for driving with a suspended license as a habitual offender in Florida, prevented Calderon from legally possessing the firearm.
Calderon 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 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. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.
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.