Jonathan M. Cuney, 38, of New York was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing firearms that included “ghost guns,” the Department of Justice announced in a press release.
From the DOJ’s press release:
Cuney previously pled guilty to unlawfully possessing, as a felon, a Springfield Armory rifle and an FMK Firearms Inc. AR-15-style rifle receiver/frame, and to possessing three unregistered silencers, between September 9, 2019 and November 14, 2019.
Cuney has a prior conviction for unlawful gun trafficking. In December 2015, he pled guilty, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, to transporting and selling firearms with obliterated serial numbers while he was a licensed firearms dealer. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and returned to East Greenbush in April 2017 upon his release from prison.
In pleading guilty on June 22, 2021, Cuney also admitted that from at least August 2018 until November 12, 2019, he purchased firearms parts from several dozen online retailers, and had these items shipped to East Greenbush; Willits, California (where he maintained a residence); and Providence, Rhode Island (where he formerly maintained a legitimate firearms business). Cuney then used these firearms parts to manufacture non-serialized handguns and rifles, and silencers. These firearms are often called “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, making them more difficult for law enforcement to track.
The ATF searched a storage unit owned by Cuney on November 14, 2019, and found the following items:
- Two (2) rifles,
- One (1) revolver,
- Four (4) serialized AR-15-style rifle receivers/frames,
- Two (2) completed “ghost” guns,
- Five (5) pistol parts kits,
- Two (2) completed silencers and enough parts to build more than ten (10) silencers, and
- An assorted quantity of firearm parts and accessories – of which five (5) would be classified as machine guns under federal law – and 3,250 rounds of assorted rifle and pistol ammunition.
In another unit owned by Cuney, ATF agents found:
- Two (2) Glock pistols,
- Seven (7) additional handguns,
- Three (3) rifles,
- One (1) shotgun,
- Five (5) machinegun conversion kits,
- More than ten (10) silencers, and
- More than 1,000 rounds of assorted rifle and handgun ammunition.
Cuney is described in the press release as a member of the far-right group Proud Boys since 2018.
Read the DOJ’s full press release here.
