ALBANY, NY – Justin W. May, 37, of Edinburg, New York, is headed to federal prison for six years. The Saratoga County man was sentenced today to 72 months for a trifecta of federal crimes: possessing a machinegun, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking operation, and running an illegal marijuana grow. The bust originated from a reported shooting, escalating into a full-blown federal investigation.
The trouble began on April 12, 2016, when New York State Police responded to reports of gunfire on Fox Hill Road in Edinburg. While one suspect was immediately apprehended, May vanished. A subsequent search of his property didn’t take long to reveal the source of the disturbance – and a whole lot more. Troopers discovered a significant marijuana grow operation alongside an AR-15-type weapon. May eventually returned to the scene and was taken into custody.
A search of May’s vehicle revealed he was packing two handguns. The subsequent search warrant executed on his property turned up a substantial haul: marijuana plants in various stages of growth, roughly 6 pounds of processed weed, two semi-automatic rifles, and additional firearms. But it wasn’t just the quantity of weapons that landed May in hot water. An in-depth examination by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed a sinister modification.
The ATF determined that one of the rifles, a .300 Blackout caliber AR-15, had its hammer altered to allow for fully automatic fire – effectively turning it into an illegal machinegun. During his plea on November 21, 2018, May admitted he knew the modified rifle was a machinegun and that he carried the two handguns specifically to protect his marijuana operation and the cash it generated. The feds weren’t buying his story.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino handed down the sentence today. May received 12 months for the marijuana cultivation and machinegun possession, to be served concurrently. The real hammer blow came with a mandatory 60-month consecutive sentence for possessing the handguns in connection with his drug trafficking. He’ll also be subject to a 3-year term of supervised release after prison and must pay a $3,000 fine.
The case was a joint effort by ATF and the New York State Police, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas Collyer and Jeffrey Coffman leading the prosecution. This case serves as a grim reminder that packing heat to protect an illegal drug operation carries a hefty price, especially when that heat includes a fully automatic weapon. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on similar federal crackdowns across the nation.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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