Watervliet Man Builds, Sells Illicit Guns

Watervliet Man Builds, Sells Illicit Guns

ALBANY, NEW YORK – In a brazen case of gun trafficking, Sean Patrick, age 45, of Watervliet, New York, has pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license.

According to court records, Patrick built and sold four non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols between June 2021 and November 2022, flouting all regulations and laws governing firearms sales.

Patricia admitted to not filing out any necessary paperwork or paying any taxes in connection with the sales, and federal agents executed a search warrant on his residence on November 10, 2022, recovering four more privately manufactured, non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols, another semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number, assorted gun kits and fabrication tools, and over a thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

PSN, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts, focuses on the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most violent offenders and partner with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Patrick is scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, 2024, before Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Khan. He faces a maximum term of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.