A Ridgewood man has been sentenced for possession of illegally purchasing firearms after being found with a stash of firearms and ammunition in his home during a police raid earlier this year.
Andrew Hakeem, 22, pleaded guilty last month to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was sentenced to two years in prison to be followed by two years of post-release supervision, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
According to court records, on Feb. 17, police executed a court-authorized search warrant on Hakeen’s home on Woodward Avenue. At that time, police found a semiautomatic rifle that could be equipped with a detachable magazine along with a folding stock, a Sig Sauer .45-caliber gun, a taser and numerous rounds of ammunition.
At the time of his arrest, Hakeem admitted to police that he had bought the handgun in Miami and knew that he did not have the proper permission to carry in New York City.
“Firearms pose a serious and deadly threat to public safety. My office is committed to ridding our communities of illegal guns,” Brown said in a statement on Oct. 31. “This case should serve as a warning to anyone who would purchase a weapon elsewhere and bring it into Queens County. When you are caught with an illegal gun you will face prison time. The defendant in this case has been sentenced to a term of incarceration as a result of his error in judgment.”
