Convicted Felon Onic Martinez Transported Stolen Firearms
ALBANY, NEW YORK - Onic Martinez, 34, of Amsterdam, New York pled guilty yesterday to possessing firearms as a convicted felon and transporting firearms stolen from Target Sports, Inc., a federally licensed firearms dealer in Schenectady, New York announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Martinez, as part of his guilty plea, admitted that on Oct. 24, 2017, he met with Omar DeJesus, Christian Roman, and Jose Fontanez in Amsterdam, New York, and reached an agreement with them to transport dozens of stolen firearms from a storage locker in Schenectady, New York to DeJesus’s residence in Amsterdam. Thereafter, Martinez, assisted by another man, drove to Schenectady, retrieved dozens of the stolen firearms, and transported them back to Amsterdam. As payment for his assistance, the defendant received several of the stolen firearms.
At sentencing on Jan. 3, 2019 in Syracuse, Martinez faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $500,000, and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Martinez’ co-conspirator Christian Roman, 24, of Schenectady was indicted earlier this year on charges that he stole firearms from Target Sports on Oct. 22, 2017. The stolen firearms included pistols, shotguns, and rifles. The indictment further alleges that Roman possessed, concealed, and stored the stolen firearms through Nov. 1, 2017. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. Roman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Jose Fontanez, 36, of Schenectady, pled guilty earlier this year to stealing the firearms and other, related charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2018.
Omar DeJesus, 31, of Amsterdam; Dalmary Morales, 37, of Schenectady; and Juan Saez, age 35, of Rochester, New York, all pled guilty earlier this year for their respective roles in stealing, transporting, and possessing the firearms. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2018.
The case was investigated by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne A. Myers.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
