BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a 15-count indictment charging Benjamin Handley, 25, of Homer, Alaska, with five counts each of unlawful shipment of defaced firearm, unlawful transfer of machinegun, and unlawful transport of firearm. The charges carry maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, Handley is accused of shipping nine firearms from the State of Alaska to the State of New York in February, March, May, and July of 2018. Those firearms included four Glocks, three MAC9s, a MAC10, and a MAC11. All nine firearms were modified to fire automatic, as machine guns, and had their serial numbers obliterated.
The defendant was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah M. Smith in Anchorage, Alaska and ordered detained. He will be scheduled for arraignment upon his transport to Buffalo.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; ICE-HSI Anchorage; the United States Postal Service Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Delany E. De Leon-Colon; and the Alaska Department of Public Safety, Division of Alaska State Troopers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska also assisted in Handley’s arrest.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. #
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
