A 39-year-old Houlton man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Thursday to illegally possessing firearms.

According to court records, John Martin purchased three pistols and two rifles from a business in Maine between October and December 2016. Officers seized one of the rifles after a search warrant was executed on July 26, 2017. Martin was prohibited from possessing firearms because of an April 2016 conviction in Maine for misdemeanor domestic violence assault, said officials.

Martin faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Houlton Police Department.  This case is brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state and local law enforcement to combat gun crime. PSN Maine uses a targeted enforcement strategy for offenders who have prior domestic violence convictions.

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