Cayuga County Felon Admits to Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and Ammunition

ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Workman, age 32, of Conquest, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Nicholas B. Boshears, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck.

Workman, who has prior felony convictions for arson and burglary offenses, admitted that he possessed a .30-06 caliber rifle and ammunition, and discharged the rifle at his residence in Conquest, on October 6, 2020.

Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby is scheduled to sentence Workman on October 28, 2021.  Workman faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment 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.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Office of Special Investigation for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping.

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.