A Watervliet man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegally manufacturing and selling firearms without a license, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Sean Patrick, 46, admitted to building and selling four non-serialized, semi-automatic pistols between June 2021 and November 2022 without the required federal license, paperwork, or tax payments.
Federal agents searched Patrick’s residence in November 2022 and found four additional “ghost guns,” another pistol with a removed serial number, gun kits, fabrication tools, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
“People need to sell firearms the right way, in accordance with federal law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “If you deal firearms without a license, be ready to spend time in federal prison.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said Patrick’s decision to bypass regulations posed a danger to the public. “The FBI will continue to work… to investigate anyone looking to push illegal firearms into our communities.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. imposed a $7,500 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and ordered the forfeiture of the recovered weapons and ammunition.
The case was investigated by the FBI and its Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, with assistance from Colonie and Watervliet police. Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Vickey prosecuted the case.
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