ALBANY, NEW YORK – Justin Smith, age 22, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his prior guilty plea, Smith admitted that on March 4, 2021, he possessed a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 mm pistol and an HS Produkt 40 caliber pistol that were recovered after a search warrant was executed at a residence in Troy. Smith had posted, to SnapChat, photos and videos of himself handling the firearms the night before they were recovered. Smith was prohibited from possessing the firearms due to a previous felony conviction involving a firearm.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release, which will start after Smith is released from prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Troy Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Segovia.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.