Six Defendants Including Three Former Members Of The United States Military Charged With Interstate Gun Trafficking

A seventeen-count indictment was fully unsealed yesterday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging Marquez Bridges, Micah Isaiah Desuze, Dominique Chanel Fairnot, Jeremy Sanchez, Ashanti Sease-Matthews, and Omar Jermaine Walker with conspiracy to deal in firearms and making false statements to acquire firearms.  Jeremy Sanchez, who was the most recent defendant arrested in this case, is scheduled to be arraigned before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Robert Levy at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon.  The next status conference in the case is scheduled for August 4, 2016 before the Honorable Allyne R. Ross. 

The charges and arrests were announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).

“We stand committed to stemming the flow of illegal firearms into our communities,” stated United States Attorney Capers.  “All too often, firearms brought into New York illegally end up in the hands of criminals and result in acts of violence.”  Mr. Capers extended his grateful appreciation to the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

“Illegal guns most often end up in the hands of criminals who usually don't abide by the laws designed to protect society.  A disturbing facet of this case is that several of the subjects were former members of the military, trusted to defend our nation, and make it safer.  These weapons have made our communities more dangerous,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez. 

“This department has no tolerance for those who traffic illegal guns into our city,” said New York Police Commissioner Bratton.  “I commend the work of the detectives and agents whose work resulted in these arrests.”

As set forth in the indictment and other documents filed by the government, between October 2015 and April 2016 the defendants purchased more than 70 firearms from stores and gun shows in Georgia.  The firearms were transported to the metropolitan New York City area, where they were sold in illegal transactions on the street.  The defendants, who acted as straw purchasers, made false statements to obtain the firearms.  In particular, the defendants lied on ATF Form 4473, a form gun purchasers are required to complete to verify, among other things, that they are not purchasing firearms on behalf of others.  Three of the defendants, Desuze, Sease-Matthews, and Walker, are former members of the United States military.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, the defendants face a maximum prison term of ten years.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret E. Gandy and Rena Paul are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendants:

MARQUEZ BRIDGES
Age:  26
Atlanta, Georgia

MICAH ISAIAH DESUZE
Age:  24
Atlanta, Georgia

DOMINIQUE CHANEL FAIRNOT
Age:  26
Atlanta, Georgia

JEREMY SANCHEZ
Age:  26
Atlanta, Georgia

ASHANTI SEASE-MATTHEWS
Age:  23
Atlanta, Georgia

OMAR JERMAINE WALKER
Age:  26
Savannah, Georgia

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-326