Hudson County Man Charged with Being Felon in Possession of Weapon

NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man made his initial appearance today on a charge stemming from his arrest for illegally possessing a handgun with a large capacity magazine, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Malik Holloway, 28, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case:

At 8:20 p.m. on July 13, 2020, a Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) officer observed via surveillance camera what he believed to be the transfer of a firearm between two individuals on Neptune Avenue. Approximately 30 minutes later, members of JCPD observed a large group of people. Malik Holloway began to walk away from the group. An officer observed what appeared to be a bulge protruding from the center of Holloway’s waistband and Holloway smelled of marijuana. Holloway was stopped and the officer conducted a pat down for weapons. The officer recovered a Glock Model 17 9mm with a large capacity magazine containing 18 rounds of ammunition

The charge of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea; the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez; and special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson, Newark Field Division, with the investigation leading to the charge and arrest. 

This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.