ALBUQUERQUE - Nicholas Richard Blume, 35, of Albuquerque, N.M., entered a not guilty plea this morning to a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Blume was ordered detained pending trial based on judicial findings that he poses a danger to the community and a risk of flight.
Blume was arrested on Feb. 12, 2014, on a criminal complaint alleging that he unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition on Feb. 10, 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M. According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 10, 2014, a woman (victim) called the Albuquerque Police Department dispatch to report a domestic violence incident at her southeast Albuquerque home. The victim alleged that Blume broke her nose by punching her nose with a closed fist after she complained about his bringing firearms into her home and demanded that he leave her home. When officers responded to the call, they allegedly found a semi-automatic rifle loaded with 72 rounds of ammunition which the victim claimed was brought into her home by Blume.
On Feb. 10, 2014, Blume was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of the following felony offenses in the 2nd Judicial District Court (Bernalillo County) for the State of New Mexico: aggravated battery and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle in 2004; the manufacture, distribution and possession of imitation controlled substances and extortion in 2005; possession of a controlled substance in 2008; and robbery in 2012.
If convicted on the offense against him, Blume faces a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. If Blume is determined to be a career criminal, he faces an enhanced sentence of not less than 15 years in federal prison upon conviction. The charge against Blume in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation and Blume is presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
Blume is being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst" offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department with assistance from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis E. Valencia and David M. Walsh.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
