A Rochester man and a North Carolina co-defendant pleaded guilty in a federal case involving firearms moved into Buffalo for illegal resale, prosecutors said.
Hassian Humphrey, 24, of Rochester pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit firearms offenses, while Keishawn Turner, 25, of Kannapolis, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in the firearms business without a license, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office release.
Each offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sentencing dates have not been set.
Federal prosecutors said the conspiracy ran from May 2022 through June 24, 2025. Humphrey and Turner exchanged photos and videos of firearms, discussed prices and sought buyers, according to the government's account of the case.
In October 2023, the two transported five firearms from North Carolina into western New York for sale. One was a privately manufactured gun without a serial number, commonly called a ghost gun. Authorities recovered two of the five during Buffalo search warrants in December 2023.
Prosecutors also described an earlier attempt to bring two firearms north. In May 2022, Humphrey and Jylin Woods were stopped by law enforcement in Oak Hill, West Virginia, and the weapons were seized before they reached Buffalo.
The release said Humphrey and Woods had shared firearm photos and information about potential buyers and, on at least two other occasions, successfully transported guns purchased in North Carolina to Buffalo for resale.
Another co-defendant, Jerry Baine, sent Humphrey photos of about 19 firearms offered for sale, including several privately manufactured guns without serial numbers, prosecutors said. The two discussed prices, and Baine purchased multiple firearms from North Carolina retailers that were later sold to Humphrey. One of those guns was recovered during a separate Buffalo criminal investigation in July 2024.
None of the defendants in the alleged conspiracy held a federal firearms importer, manufacturer, dealer or collector license, according to the release. Charges remain pending against Woods, Benjamin Martin and Baine; their cases have not been resolved by Humphrey's and Turner's pleas.
The Buffalo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Testani and Monica Benjovsky are prosecuting it.
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