Michael Younge, Gun Trafficking, New Hampshire 2015

A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison for his role in an illegal effort to purchase two firearms in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

According to court documents, Michael Younge, 27, formerly of Framingham and Boston, Massachusetts, was sentenced on an unknown date for aiding and abetting the making of a false statement in connection with the attempted acquisition of a firearm.

On July 15, 2015, Younge and three friends, Rafael Soriano, Adrian Aleman, and Tasha Gardner, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett. Of the four, only Gardner was legally eligible to buy handguns. Younge and Soriano, with Aleman’s help, solicited Gardner to buy two handguns on their behalf.

Gardner agreed to assist and attempted to purchase the two guns for Younge and Soriano. In connection with that attempt, Gardner filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter handgun purchases on which she falsely certified that she was the actual purchaser of the two handguns, when she was really attempting to buy them for Younge and Soriano. The store never transferred the firearms because its employees became suspicious and declined to complete the transaction.

Younge previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the making of a false statement in connection with the attempted acquisition of a firearm. After serving his sentence, he will be on supervised release for a period of three years.

Two of the other individuals involved in the scheme, Gardner and Aleman, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to terms of probation. A warrant for Soriano’s arrest is outstanding.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative undertaken by the U.S. government to reduce gun crime in America through community outreach and the vigorous prosecution of firearms offenses.

Related Federal Cases