Rensselaer County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Machinegun

ALBANY, NEW YORK –Ahmed AlSaadi, age 18, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to possessing a machinegun. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; James Smith, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf.

AlSaadi admitted that on August 2, 2023, he possessed three machinegun conversion devices and a Glock handgun that had been modified with a machinegun conversion device that allowed the Glock to shoot and function as a machinegun. AlSaadi also admitted to selling machinegun conversion devices from March to July 2023.

AlSaadi, who is in custody, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2024, in Albany, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000. The court may also require AlSaadi to serve a term of supervised release of up to 3 years to begin after imprisonment. 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.

ATF, FBI, and Troy Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.