Michael Younge, Aiding and Abetting False Statement, New Hampshire 2015

Grimy Times has learned that a Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for his role in an illegal effort to purchase two firearms in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

Michael Younge, 27, formerly of Framingham and Boston, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante for his role in the scheme. According to court documents and statements made during the prosecution of the case, on July 15, 2015, Younge and three friends visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

Of the four, only one friend was legally eligible to buy handguns. Younge and another friend, Rafael Soriano, with the help of a third friend, Adrian Aleman, solicited their friend to buy two handguns on their behalf. Their friend, Tasha Gardner, agreed to assist and attempted to purchase the two guns for Younge and Soriano.

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 in reality she was 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.

The 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 U.S. Attorney Bill Morse.

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

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