A Keyport man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for illegally possessing an assault rifle, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced on Feb. 9.
Honig said Ahmed A-Hady, 36, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Hayden imposed the sentence by videoconference on Feb. 9.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, on Dec. 10, 2019, there was a mass shooting in Jersey City in which a Jersey City police officer and three civilians were shot and killed by a male (Individual 1) and a female (Individual 2).
After the shooting, law enforcement personnel recovered a handwritten note from Individual 1’s pants pocket that contained a telephone number ending in 4115 and a Keyport address. Law enforcement personnel also recovered several weapons possessed by the two individuals, including an AR-15 rifle.
FBI agents determined the phone number ending in 4115 contained on the note belonged to A-Hady. Law enforcement personnel also determined the Keyport address listed on the note was a storefront for a pawn shop.
On the evening of Dec. 13, 2019, law enforcement officers traveled to the pawnshop and interviewed A-Hady and two of his relatives.
Law enforcement officers lawfully searched the pawnshop and A-Hady’s private residence and recovered rifles, handguns and one shotgun. During the searches of the pawnshop and A-Hady’s residence, law enforcement personnel also recovered more than 400 rounds of ammunition, including a large number of hollow point bullets.
One of the weapons recovered from the pawn shop was a Sig Sauer .22 caliber rifle capable of accepting a large capacity magazine. Records showed A-Hady purchased that rifle in Florida on Oct. 23, 2012, about five months after he was convicted in New Jersey Superior Court of a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.
Honig said in addition to the prison term, Hayden sentenced A-Hady to three years of supervised release. A-Hady forfeited his interest, if any, in the firearms that were recovered during the search of the pawn shop.