ALBANY, NY – John Coffin, a 49-year-old Schenectady resident known on the streets as “Body,” is headed to federal prison for a decade. Coffin was sentenced Tuesday to 120 months – ten years – for illegally possessing a handgun and ammunition, a conviction secured after a five-day jury trial last November. The case highlights the ongoing federal crackdown on repeat offenders flooding the streets with firearms.
United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and James N. Hendricks, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany FBI field office, announced the sentence. The evidence presented at trial painted a grim picture: Coffin, already saddled with multiple prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses, willingly handed off a loaded Walther P22 .22 caliber handgun – chillingly referred to as “the murderer’s gun” – along with nine rounds of ammunition to another individual in Schenectady. The feds weren’t buying Coffin’s story.
While the jury found Coffin guilty of possessing the .22 and ammo, they acquitted him on a separate charge alleging he possessed a 9mm Hi-Point rifle specifically to further a drug trafficking operation. However, that partial victory wasn’t enough to save Coffin from a substantial prison term. Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy didn’t show leniency, adding five years of supervised release to Coffin’s sentence, to begin after he’s released from prison.
The investigation, led by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Task Force, was a multi-agency effort. The task force includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), New York State Police, Schenectady Police Department, Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and even the New York Air National Guard. This wasn’t a solo operation; it was a full-scale assault on Coffin’s criminal network.
Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers skillfully prosecuted the case, building a solid case that convinced the jury Coffin was a danger to the community. The sentencing of Coffin sends a clear message: illegally possessing firearms, especially with a history of violent offenses, will not be tolerated. The streets of Schenectady are a little safer today, but the Grimy Times will continue to track the fallout and any related activity.
Coffin’s defense team argued the gun wasn’t intended for malicious use, but the “murderer’s gun” comment clearly undermined that claim. Sources within the FBI suggest Coffin is a known associate of several local drug crews and this conviction is just the first domino in a larger investigation aimed at dismantling their operations. Expect more arrests in the coming months.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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