Christian Cherry, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, New Hampshire 2017

A Manchester man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Christian Cherry, 33, was sentenced last week in federal court in Concord.

According to court documents, on August 13, 2016, Manchester Police responded to a residence for a reported domestic dispute. Upon arrival, they encountered Cherry in his vehicle in the parking lot of the residence, and his then-girlfriend inside the apartment.

Once in the apartment, officers observed visible signs of a struggle, and witnesses reported the presence of a firearm. Officers ultimately obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered two Smith & Wesson handguns in a bedroom belonging to Cherry. One of the firearms had been reported stolen to Manchester Police in June 2016.

Cherry was prohibited from possessing any firearm as a result of at least one prior felony conviction. A federal grand jury indicted Cherry for being a felon in possession of a firearm on October 19, 2016. Cherry pleaded guilty on May 10, 2017.

He has been in custody since his arrest on November 17, 2016. In addition to a 30-month prison sentence, the Court ordered Cherry to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment.

This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Manchester Police Department. The case is part of ATF's Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is a federally-funded program intended to reduce gun violence through law enforcement training, public education, and aggressive law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute gun-related crimes.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/manchester-man-sentenced-30-months-prison-federal-firearm-crime