ALBANY, NY – Jason Seminary, 44, of Duanesburg, New York, admitted today to illegally possessing a loaded firearm, a Ruger .22 caliber rifle, despite a prior felony conviction that barred him from owning one. The guilty plea, entered in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, brings Seminary one step closer to a lengthy prison sentence.
The bust went down December 26, 2021, when Guilderland Police detectives, executing a search warrant on a pickup truck Seminary was driving in Schenectady County, discovered the rifle. Seminary’s criminal history – a prior conviction for burglary-second degree, specifically involving physical injury to a victim – automatically disqualifies him from legally owning firearms or ammunition.
Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett, are pushing for a substantial sentence. Seminary now faces up to 10 years behind bars and up to 3 years of supervised release following his federal imprisonment. Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. is slated to hand down the sentence on April 15, 2023.
But the legal trouble doesn’t end there for Seminary. He’s also facing sentencing in Albany County Court on a separate charge of criminally negligent homicide. In a grim twist, Seminary has agreed to serve that state sentence – a term of 2 to 4 years – consecutively to whatever federal time he receives. That means a potentially lengthy stretch in prison for the 44-year-old.
The investigation was a joint effort, spearheaded by the Town of Guilderland Police Department and bolstered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Town of Rotterdam Police Department also provided assistance. This case underscores the continued focus of federal and local law enforcement on keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons.
U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Guilderland Police Chief Daniel P. McNally jointly announced the guilty plea. While the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not comment on the details of the criminally negligent homicide case, sources indicate it is unrelated to the firearm charge. Seminary’s future remains uncertain as he awaits sentencing on both federal and state charges, potentially facing years away from freedom.
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- Robert Twiss Charged with Unlawful Rifle Possession, New York NY, 2023 · Nevada
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