BANGOR, Maine: A Lincoln man was sentenced today in federal court for providing false information to a firearms dealer while purchasing firearms, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Dwight Gary, 51, of Lincoln to time served and two years of supervised release. Gary pleaded guilty in November 2021.
According to court records, in February 2021, Gary knowingly made two false and fictitious written statements to Maine Military Supply in Holden, a licensed firearms dealer. When asked on an ATF form, “Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form and any continuation sheets,” he checked the box for “yes.” However, at the time of the purchases, Gary knew that he was not the actual buyer of the firearms, but rather was buying them for and at the direction of another person. It is against federal law to provide false information to federal firearm licensees when purchasing firearms. His false statements were discovered after the Orono Police Department seized a Sig Sauer P365 9mm pistol on February 14, 2021.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orono Police Department investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Project Safe Neighborhoods is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories, and the program is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, Project Safe Neighborhoods follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability. To learn more information about Project Safe Neighborhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
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